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AFTER BEING FIRED BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP. DO YOU THINK HE SHOULD BE IMPEACHED? >> HE DEFINITELY ENGAGED IN CONDUCT THAT WAS LAID OUT IN THE MUELLER REPORT THAT IS DEEPLY CONCERNING. INSTANCES OF OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE. BUT REALLY CONGRESS SHOULD FIGURE OUT WHETHER THAT WOULD TRIGGER IMPEACHMENT. AS A CITIZEN, I KIND OF HOPE NOT. BECAUSE I THINK THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WOULD BE LET OFF THE HOOK IF DONALD TRUMP WERE IMPEACHED AND REMOVED FROM OFFICE, AND A LOT OF HIS SUPPORTERS WOULD THINK SOME KIND OF COUP HAD TAKEN PLACE. WE NEED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS AND VOTE NEXT NOVEMBER AND SHOW THAT WE HAVE A CERTAIN SET OF VALUES AND WE INSIST THAT OUR LEADERS REFLECT THOSE VALUES. SO WE NEED AN INFLECTION POINT. AN IMPEACHMENT WOULD DEPRIVE US OF THAT AND WE NEED TO SHOW WHAT WE STAND FOR. KELLIE: YOU’VE HAD A PRETTY INCREDIBLE CAREER, STARTING AS A PROSECUTOR, U.S. ATTORNEY, DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND OF COURSE, YOU’RE REALLY MOST KNOWN AS YOUR ROLE AS THE DIRECTOR OF THE FBI. I THINK WHEN PEOPLE THINK OF JAMES COMEY THEY CAN’T HELP BUT THINK ABOUT THE HILARY CLINTON EMAIL INVESTIGATION, AND THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE QUITE FRANKLY WHO THINK YOU HANDLED IT POORLY AND THAT YOU LOST THE ELECTION FOR HER. WHAT DO YOU SAY TO THEM? >> I HOPE YOU’LL DIVE INTO THE FACTS. IF YOU HAVE A VIEW THAT’S INFORMED BY THE FACTS, I RESPECT IT. A LOT OF PEOPLE I THINK ARE SURPRISED WHEN THEY SEE HOW DIFFICULT THE DECISIONS WE HAD TO MAKE WERE AND HOW WE ALWAYS FACE TWO DOORS AND THEY BOTH STUNK. I THINK WE ALWAYS CHOSE THE DOOR THAT WAS LEAST BAD AND MOST CONSISTENT WITH THE VALUES OF THE FBI, BUT I GET PEOPLE CAN BOTH DISAGREE WITH THE DECISIONS, WHICH I RESPECT, AND I GET THAT PEOPLE THINK IT HAD AN IMPACT ON THE ELECTION. I DON’T KNOW. I REALLY, REALLY HOPE SOME DAY SOMEONE PROVES IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE ELECTION. IT ACTUALLY DOESN’T CHANGE THE WAY I THINK ABOUT IT. IT JUST INCREASES THE PAIN. KELLIE: I KNOW YOU HAD A SHORT STINT WORKING UNDER PRESIDENT TRUMP, ABOUT FIVE MONTHS OR SO, AND THE MEMOS ARE SOMETHING THAT OBVIOUSLY MUCH OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC ARE STUCK ON. THESE MEMOS. HOW YOU HANDLED IT AT THE END. WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT, AND DO YOU THINK THAT YOU HANDLED THAT SITUATION CORRECTLY? >> I THINK SO, BUT AGAIN, I’M NOT CERTAIN BECAUSE I WAS DEALING WITH A SITUATION I NEVER IMAGINED BEING IN. WITH A PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES CLEARING THE ROOM TO ASK ME TO DROP AN INVESTIGATION OF ONE OF HIS SENIOR LEADERS, THEN FIRING ME, THEN LYING ABOUT ME, ATTACKING ME, AND TELLING THE RUSSIANS THAT I WAS A NUT JOB, AND SO I DON’T KNOW EXACTLY THE RIGHT WAY TO HANDLE A SITUATION LIKE THAT IS, I HOPE NO ONE EVER DEALS WITH IT EVER AGAIN. I THINK I HANDLED IT IN A REASONABLE WAY. KELLIE: YOU LEAKED THESE MEMOS KNOWING FULL WELL THAT THIS INVESTIGATION WOULD HAPPEN. WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST LET THE PROCESS GO THROUGH INSTEAD OF TAKE IT UPON YOURSELF? >> YEAH, THAT’S A REASONABLE QUESTION. THE REASON WAS, THE PRESIDENT TWEETED AT ME THAT I BETTER HOPE THERE AREN’T TAPES OF OUR CONVERSATIONS BEFORE I START LEAKING TO THE PRESS, AND I HADN’T HAD ANY CONTACT WITH THE PRESS AT THAT POINT. ALL OF A SUDDEN IT OCCURRED TO ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, HOLY COW, THERE MAY BE TAPES OF OUR CONVERSATIONS. SOMEONE’S GOTTA GO GET THOSE TAPES. AND I DIDN’T BELIEVE THAT I COULD TRUST THE LEADERSHIP OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO DO THAT. MY COMMON SENSE TOLD ME THAT THE FBI WOULD PUSH FOR THAT BUT THEY WOULDN’T NECESSARILY GET IT. A SPECIAL COUNSEL HAD TO BE APPOINTED TO GO GET THE TAPES AND I THOUGHT, I’M A PRIVATE CITIZEN NOW, I CAN TALK ABOUT UNCLASSIFIED CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT. AND SO I ASKED MY LAWYERS TO SHARE WITH THE MEDIA, ONE, OF MY COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE PRESIDENT, AND HE DID. I DON’T KNOW IF THAT LED TO THE INVESTIGATION OF THE SPECIAL COUNSEL OR NOT -- >KELLIE: BUT YOU HOPED THAT IT WOULD? >> YEAH. AND I THOUGHT AS A PRIVATE CITIZEN, TO REMAIN SILENT NOW WOULD BE A DERELICTION OF DUTY. KELLIE: YOU WROTE THE BOOK, YOU’RE HERE IN SACRAMENTO TALKING ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE. I WAS ACTUALLY SURPRISED AT HOW LITTLE OF THE BOOK WAS ABOUT DONALD TRUMP. WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THIS? >> I WANT TO TRY AND OFFER, ESPECIALLY TO YOUNG PEOPLE, A VISION OF WHAT LEADERSHIP CAN BE AND SHOULD BE. THROUGH MISTAKES I’VE MADE, THROUGH THINGS I’VE LEARNED, FROM BAD BOSSES AND GOOD BOSSES, SO THAT THEY KNOW IT CAN BE GOOD AND THAT THEY OUGHT TO TRY AND BE PART OF IT. WE NEED GREAT YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE A PART OF IT, AND SO I WROTE THE BOOK, I TEACH, I LECTURE, I REALLY TRY AND TOUCH PEOPLE AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL AND HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL TO ENCOURAGE