Comey says he hopes Trump isn’t impeached: ‘The American people would be let off the hook’

Former FBI Director James Comey said he still hopes that President Trump isn’t impeached because it would let the American people “off the hook.”

{mosads}Comey told California TV station KCRA that while Trump participated in “deeply concerning” conduct described in former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, he thinks the decision to impeach is up to Congress.

“As a citizen, I kind of hope [Trump isn’t impeached] because I think the American people would be let off the hook if Donald Trump were impeached and removed from office,” he said. “And a lot of his supporters would think some sort of coup had taken place.”

The former director added that the public needs to “take responsibility” and vote to decide whether Trump should continue in the presidency. 

“We need an inflection point,” Comey said. “An impeachment would deprive us of that, and we need to show what we stand for.”

Comey made similar comments last year, saying as Mueller’s investigation continued that he wouldn’t want Trump impeached and would want voters to determine if the president will be reelected.

The list of Democratic House members calling for impeachment is growing after reports that Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son. 

The House will vote on a resolution Wednesday to condemn the president’s actions.

The president fired Comey in 2017 after the FBI started investigating Trump’s ties with Russia.

Calls from Democrats to impeach the president have grown louder over the evolving controversy over a phone call between Trump and Zelensky.

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that the whistleblower who first raised alarm about Trump’s conversations with Zelensky wants to speak to his panel and that he is expecting that testimony “as soon as this week.”

Updated at 4:05 p.m.