From Prosecutor to FBI: The Full Backstory Behind Who Appointed James Comey

It’s not every day that a former FBI director ends up in the kind of legal trouble usually reserved for the people he used to investigate.

That, however, is exactly what happened to James Comey. According to Fox News, James was accused of allegedly lying to Congress.

When someone who once ran the most powerful law enforcement agency in the country is now under a legal microscope, you start wondering how we got there in the first place.

So, naturally, this resulted in everyone asking the same question. Who appointed James Comey to the FBI? Keep reading as we take a closer look at his backstory.

Before the cameras and congressional hearings, James was just a sharp-minded kid from New Jersey with a habit of asking tough questions. He didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming FBI director — he studied chemistry and religion, according to his biography on Britannica.

Ultimately, however, it was the law that drew him in. After graduating from the University of Chicago Law School, he hit the ground running. He clerked for a federal judge, then joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan under none other than Rudolph Giuliani.

This was back when Rudy was still known for going after the mob, not holding press conferences at landscaping companies.

James made a name for himself as a no-nonsense prosecutor. He tackled organized crime, white-collar fraud, and even terrorism cases. Later, as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, he led investigations into some of the biggest corporate scandals of the 2000s — think WorldCom, Adelphia, and ImClone.

Oh, and remember when Martha Stewart went to jail for insider trading? That was his case too, according to Britannica.

Then came the moment that really defined his early career, confirmed by the White House Archives. In 2003, President George W. Bush appointed him deputy attorney general.

Just months into the role, James famously rushed to the hospital bedside of then–Attorney General John Ashcroft to stop a controversial surveillance program he believed was illegal. That moment turned him into something of a legend in D.C. — a guy who would stand up to power, even if it meant putting his own job on the line.

After leaving the Justice Department in 2005, James didn’t exactly disappear — he just traded one kind of power for another. According to his bio on FBI.gov, he became general counsel for Lockheed Martin. Then, he moved on to Bridgewater Associates, one of the world’s largest hedge funds. For a while, he was out of the political spotlight.

But not for long.

In 2013, when the FBI was still recovering from internal leaks, surveillance scandals, and a post-9/11 identity crisis, President Barack Obama made what seemed like a bipartisan, above-the-fray choice. He nominated James to lead the Bureau.

At first, it worked. James had previously served under a Republican president. His calm, principled vibe made both sides believe he could be trusted. The Senate confirmed him with barely a whisper of opposition. By Sept. 4, 2013, he was officially the seventh director of the FBI.

For a while, things were quiet. He kept a relatively low profile — until 2016.

That’s when everything changed.

With Hillary Clinton under investigation for using a private email server while serving as Secretary of State, James made a decision that would come to define him. He held a public press conference to announce that while Hillary wouldn’t face criminal charges, her behavior had been “extremely careless.” Then, just days before the election, he sent a letter to Congress revealing that the FBI was reviewing newly discovered emails.

To some, it was transparency. To others, sabotage. Whatever your take, there’s no denying it shifted the energy in a razor-thin election.

When President Donald Trump took office in 2017, he surprised a few people by asking James to stay on as FBI director. But let’s just say that the working relationship didn’t last.

Within weeks, James confirmed that the FBI was investigating potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russian officials. And not long after that, he was fired by the president himself, per Politico.

It's understandable to wonder how someone like James ended up facing criminal charges. If you trace the arc of his career, however, there were signs all along that he was willing to ruffle feathers — even when it cost him.

He challenged the Bush White House. He upset Democrats. Then, he got fired by a Republican president. In some ways, his defining trait was also his biggest liability: independence.