James Comey Biography
James Comey Biography – James Comey, born on December 14, 1960, in Yonkers, New York, is an American lawyer and law enforcement official who led the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until 2017.
James Comey Early Life
James Comey was raised in a family of Irish-American heritage. His grandfather served as a police officer, and his father was involved in commercial real estate. He grew up in Allendale, New Jersey, and went on to study chemistry and religion at the College of William & Mary, graduating in 1982. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago in 1985.
James Comey Legal Career and Acting Attorney General
James Comey began his legal career primarily within the offices of federal prosecutors. In 1987, he was appointed assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, working under Rudolph Giuliani. In 1993, he joined the private sector as a partner at McGuireWoods in Virginia. Three years later, he returned to public service as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia. In 2002, he became the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he led the prosecution against businesswoman Martha Stewart, who was convicted in 2004 for financial crimes.
James Comey advanced to deputy attorney general in December 2003, making him the second-ranking official at the Department of Justice. In 2004, while temporarily acting as attorney general during John Ashcroft’s illness, he resisted pressure from members of President George W. Bush’s administration to authorize a domestic surveillance program.
Although praised for this stand, he was later criticized for defending the classification of U.S. citizen Jose Padilla as an enemy combatant. James Comey left the DOJ in 2005 and became general counsel for Lockheed Martin, then the largest defense contractor. He later took on the same role at Bridgewater Associates, a leading hedge fund, from 2010 to 2013.
Memoir and Subsequent Activities
In May 2017, a memo written by James Comey about a February meeting with President Trump was made public. The memo stated that Trump had asked him to end the FBI’s investigation into Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security adviser, in connection with the Russia inquiry. Soon after the memo surfaced, Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel for the investigation. In June, Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee, explaining that he had documented his conversations with Trump due to concerns the president might misrepresent them. He also acknowledged that he had arranged for the memo’s release to prompt the appointment of a special counsel. James Comey clarified that Trump was not personally under investigation at that time.
In 2018, James Comey released his memoir, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership, which was sharply critical of Trump, describing him as unethical and dishonest. The book, along with Comey’s media appearances, drew harsh responses from Trump, who called him a “slimeball.” The memoir was later adapted into a 2020 miniseries, The Comey Rule, starring Jeff Daniels. In 2021, Comey published another book, Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency, and Trust.
James Comey Personal Life
Raised Roman Catholic, James Comey now practices Methodism and has served as a Sunday school teacher in the United Methodist Church. Standing at 6 feet 8 inches (2.03 meters), he is notably tall.
James Comey met his wife, Patrice Failor, while both were students at William & Mary. They married in 1987 and have five children, as well as a son who passed away in infancy. He has spoken about finding ways to bring positivity out of personal tragedy. The couple has also served as foster parents. As of 2023, they live in McLean, Virginia.
Their eldest daughter, Maurene, graduated from Harvard Law School in 2013 and currently works as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York.
According to Michael S. Schmidt’s book Donald Trump v. The United States, James Comey was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2006 and underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor.