Skip to content
  • William & Mary students line up outside Phi Beta Kappa...

    Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press

    William & Mary students line up outside Phi Beta Kappa Hall for the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Wednesday April 25, 2018.

  • William & Mary student Julia Wicks asks a question of...

    Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press

    William & Mary student Julia Wicks asks a question of former FBI director James Comey Tuesday April 25, 2018 during a live CNN town-hall style program. A group of students gathered to watch the event at the Sadler center.

  • William & Mary students line up outside Phi Beta Kappa...

    Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press

    William & Mary students line up outside Phi Beta Kappa Hall for the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Tuesday April 25, 2018.

  • Former FBI Director James Comey answers questions during a live...

    JOHN NOWAK/CNN / CNN

    Former FBI Director James Comey answers questions during a live town hall hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday, April 25th 2018 at William & Mary, Comey's alma mater, in Williamsburg, Virginia. Photo by John Nowak/CNN

  • William & Mary students Preston Laws and Elie Plaster watch...

    Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press

    William & Mary students Preston Laws and Elie Plaster watch the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Tuesday April 25, 2018 in the Sadler Center. The town-hall was held at the Phi Beta Kappa Hall on campus,

  • Former FBI Director James Comey answers questions during a live...

    JOHN NOWAK/CNN / CNN

    Former FBI Director James Comey answers questions during a live town hall hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday, April 25th 2018 at William & Mary, Comey's alma mater, in Williamsburg, Virginia. Photo by John Nowak/CNN

  • William & Mary students line up outside Phi Beta Kappa...

    Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press

    William & Mary students line up outside Phi Beta Kappa Hall for the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Wednesday April 25, 2018.

  • William & Mary students line up outside Phi Beta Kappa...

    Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press

    William & Mary students line up outside Phi Beta Kappa Hall for the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Wednesday April 25, 2018.

  • Former FBI Director James Comey answers questions during a live...

    JOHN NOWAK/CNN / CNN

    Former FBI Director James Comey answers questions during a live town hall hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper on Wednesday, April 25th 2018 at William & Mary, Comey's alma mater, in Williamsburg, Virginia. Photo by John Nowak/CNN

  • William & Mary students watch the live CNN town-hall style...

    Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press

    William & Mary students watch the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Tuesday April 25, 2018 in the Sadler Center. James Comey is a W&M alum.

  • William & Mary students Nicole Bennett and Jared Bergen watch...

    Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press

    William & Mary students Nicole Bennett and Jared Bergen watch the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Tuesday April 25, 2018 in the Sadler Center. The town-hall was held at the Phi Beta Kappa Hall on campus,

  • A William & Mary student shows her ticket for the...

    Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press

    A William & Mary student shows her ticket for the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Wednesday April 25, 2018 at Phi Beta Kappa Hall.

  • William & Mary students Preston Laws and Elie Plaster watch...

    Rob Ostermaier / Daily Press

    William & Mary students Preston Laws and Elie Plaster watch the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Tuesday April 25, 2018 in the Sadler Center. The town-hall was held at the Phi Beta Kappa Hall on campus,

of

Expand
Author
PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

One of Williamsburg Vice Mayor Scott Foster’s earliest memories as a freshman at the College of William and Mary was watching ex-FBI director James Comey deliver the school’s convocation speech — a welcome to new students.

A dozen years later on Wednesday, Foster would find himself back at the university, and again in front of Comey, back at his own alma mater a year after his highly controversial and public firing.

“Very different circumstances,” Foster said.

Foster was among 640 people who won a lottery to watch CNN’s Anderson Cooper host a televised town hall with Comey at Phi Beta Kappa Hall.

William & Mary students line up outside Phi Beta Kappa Hall for the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Tuesday April 25, 2018.
William & Mary students line up outside Phi Beta Kappa Hall for the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Tuesday April 25, 2018.

Students, faculty and staff steadily streamed into the event, several of whom said they just wanted to hear what Comey “had to say.” The crowd inside erupted in cheers when Comey came out to the stage.

One woman walked in while clutching Comey’s new book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership,” which details certain experiences during his two decades as a government employee. A watch party, hosted by the school’s Student Assembly, laughed any time Comey promoted that book in his answers during the town hall.

Before the event, about 15 students waited in a separate line with hopes to enter in case a lottery winner did not show up. Freshmen Grace Smith and Taylor Jones said they had been waiting since 3:30 p.m. and even caught Cooper walking in. Jones was hoping to hear more on Comey’s thoughts about his firing, as well as his perspective “on the whole Russia thing.”

That “Russia thing” has propelled Comey into the public eye this past year.

In May 2016, President Donald Trump abruptly fired Comey as he oversaw an investigation into Russian influence on the 2016 election. In a television interview, Trump said his dislike for the Russia investigation was part of the decision.

Comey later shared a memo he kept about conversations with Trump to one of his friends, who leaked it to the press. Comey testified to Congress about the conversations, leading some to question whether Trump had committed obstruction of justice.

During the 2016 campaign, Comey was a controversial figure as he led an investigation of former Secretary of State and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for using her private email server for official communication as secretary of state.

Comey will co-teach a William and Mary course on ethical leadership next fall. During the town hall, student Victoria Lopez asked him if he’s suitable to teach that course following the recent release of more of his memos.

He said yes, and that he’s “willing to debate that” in his class. In this answer — and to Cooper — he said that leaking the original memo was fine since he was a private citizen and it was unclassified. The other memos were no longer designated as classified, either. Cooper pressed him on whether it was legal for him to do that.

Student Zachary Smith asked Comey if he thinks Trump has the mental capacity to lead the country. Comey said yes — but that Trump is morally unfit.

“I never thought I’d say that about a president of the United States, and I don’t say it lightly,” Comey said.

Two students asked Comey about the implications of his announcement that there was new evidence over the Clinton investigation on Oct. 28, just days before the election. Comey said he had to decide what was “more consistent with the values of the Justice Department,” hiding that information or speaking out.

William & Mary students Preston Laws and Elie Plaster watch the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Tuesday April 25, 2018 in the Sadler Center. The town-hall was held at the Phi Beta Kappa Hall on campus,
William & Mary students Preston Laws and Elie Plaster watch the live CNN town-hall style show with former FBI director James Comey Tuesday April 25, 2018 in the Sadler Center. The town-hall was held at the Phi Beta Kappa Hall on campus,

Student Brian Connelly got a bit more lighthearted. Trump has called him “slippery Comey,” so what was Comey’s nickname for Trump, Connelly asked. Comey and Cooper named off the rest of the nicknames Trump has thought up, which got heavy laughter from the crowd and the watch party.

“Honestly, I call him the president of the United States, because I respect the office,” Comey said.

Amin can be reached by phone at 757-247-4890 or on Twitter at @reemadamin.