President Donald Trump is not the only one upset that former FBI Director James Comey used a friend to place an anonymously sourced story in The New York Times.

James Gagliano, a retired FBI supervisory agent who in his own words has been an “absolutely unequivocal and full-throated” defender of Comey, suggested that it was inappropriate for him to give a friend memos he wrote following conversations with the president. That friend, a Columbia University law professor, then shared portions of the memos with a Times reporter.

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Comey acknowledged in testimony last week before the Senate Intelligence Committee that he leaked the memo and did so hoping that it would trigger the appointment of a special counsel.

“I was struck and troubled last Thursday when I watched the two or three hours that he testified in front of the Senate Intel Committee, and the part that bothered me the most was the admission about the leak and the way that it happened,” he said. “It wasn’t even a situation where the director went to a New York Times reporter. He actually gave it to a surrogate, a memo.”

“I hate to say it, but I think those three stories probably originated from the FBI director.”

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Gagliano said it was the third of three incidents where it appears Comey anonymously placed stories in the press.

The first occurred in March when reports appeared that Comey was enraged that Trump had tweeted a suggestion that wiretaps may have been placed at Trump Tower in New York. The second occurred when news outlets reported that Trump had demanded a pledge of loyalty from Comey.

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“I hate to say it, but I think those three stories probably originated from the FBI director,” he said.

After CNN anchor Poppy Harlow interjected, Gagliano acknowledged that he was speculating and could not say for sure that Comey was the source of the other two stories.

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“I believe he’s an honorable man,” Gagliano said. “I believe he made a particular calculus that got us here … I believe he did what he thought was right.”

But he said Comey was wrong to use a surrogate to plant a news story.

Trump has called Comey a “leaker” and tweeted about it Sunday: “I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible. Totally illegal? Very ‘cowardly!'”