Former FBI Director James Comey James Brien ComeyDemocrats fear Russia interference could spoil bid to retake Senate Book: FBI sex crimes investigator helped trigger October 2016 public probe of Clinton emails Trump jabs at FBI director over testimony on Russia, antifa MORE acknowledged on Tuesday that he did not confront President Trump Donald John TrumpOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Pelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Trump mocks Biden appearance, mask use ahead of first debate MORE on false statements during meetings with him.

Comey said he did so because he wanted to remain in his role as the nation's top cop.

“In my situation, my judgment was I’m trying to stay in a role for another six years, protect and represent an institution, so I need to find a way to build a relationship with the president and make sure the conduct lines are abided,” Comey said in a live interview with The Washington Post.

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“I’m standing there in the first five months of a president’s tenure, where I expect to be there for his first four years and then beyond,” he added.

Comey said that in meetings with Trump the president told a number of falsehoods, such as boasting that his inauguration crowd was the largest in history.

But it was those kinds of statements, Comey said, that prompted him to begin documenting conversations with the president in a series of personal memos.

Comey was abruptly fired by Trump in May 2017, ostensibly for his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonButtigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Senate GOP sees early Supreme Court vote as political booster shot Poll: 51 percent of voters want to abolish the electoral college MORE's use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of State. The president later acknowledged, however, that he considered the FBI probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election in his decision to dismiss Comey.

Comey is in the midst of a tour to promote his new book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” which recounts his experience as the FBI chief and offers biting criticisms of Trump, including that the president is unethical and “untethered to truth.”

Comey conceded on Tuesday that the FBI could have done more to offer Trump guidance on typical protocols between the White House and the Justice Department, but said that the president seemed to be “totally uninterested” in learning.

“It’s fair to ask did he know the norms and traditions,” Comey said. “So it’s possible we could have tried to offer more obstruction. But given the nature of the person, he’s totally uninterested.”