Trump’s attacks on Justice Department 'deeply troubling': Comey

Former FBI Director James Comey says US President Donald Trump’s attacks on the Justice Department are “deeply troubling,” calling on all Americans, regardless of political affiliation, to stand up to the president’s insults.

"The president's attacks on the Justice Department broadly and the FBI are something that, no matter what political party you're in, you should find deeply troubling and continue to speak out about it, not become numb to attacks on the rule of law," Comey told reporters following his seven-hour private testimony before the House Oversight Committee.

Trump unexpectedly fired Comey in May 2017 after reportedly asking him to drop the FBI investigation into then-White House national security adviser Michael Flynn. The move led the Justice Department to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate the alleged Russian interference in the US election.

Trump has long criticized Mueller's investigation, labeling it a "witch hunt." He has also criticized, and finally fired, his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for recusing himself from the Russia probe.

Early on Friday morning, the president launched a new Twitter tirade against the Russia investigation and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. 

During his closed-door testimony to House Republicans on Friday, Comey steadfastly denied that the Russia probe was focused on a political campaign. He said the investigation had initially begun by examining four Americans.

“I was briefed sometime at the end of July that the FBI had opened counterintelligence investigations of four individuals to see if there was a connection between those -- any of those four and the Russian effort,” Comey said, according to a transcript of the interview released Saturday.

Comey did not identify those four individuals, but noted that President Trump was not among them.

The former FBI director vigorously defended the Mueller investigation into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election.

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At his press conference later, Comey expressed exasperation that he had been dragged into a private setting on Capitol Hill to be grilled about Hillary Clinton’s email probe.

"After a full day of questioning, two things are clear to me: One, we could have done this in (an) open setting," Comey told reporters. "And two: When you read the transcript, you will see that we are talking again about Hillary Clinton's emails, for heaven's sakes."

"So I'm not sure we need to do this at all, but I'm trying to respect the institution and to answer questions in a respectful way," he added.

Trump hit back at Comey at Twitter, accusing him of dodging "the most important questions."

Democrats want Comey to return to Congress next year to publicly answer questions regarding Trump’s possible obstruction of justice and impeachment.

Comey said Friday he would "abide" by a "responsible" request.

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