Comey: 'You're stuck with me'

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — James Comey said Wednesday at a Boston College conference on cybersecurity that he plans to serve his entire 10-year term as FBI director.

“You’re stuck with me for another 6 ½ years,” Comey told attendees from the law enforcement and private sectors. Comey’s tenure as director began in 2013 when he was appointed by then-President Barack Obama.


Comey, who delivered the keynote speech at the two-day conference on how the FBI is dealing with cybersecurity threats, did not address swirling questions around the bureau and claims by President Donald Trump that Obama ordered a wiretap of then-candidate Trump. Instead, his remarks covered privacy policy issues.

“All of us have a reasonable expectation of privacy in our homes, in our cars, and in our devices. But it also means with good reason, in court, government through law enforcement can invade our private spaces,” Comey said. “Even our memories aren’t private. Any of us can be compelled to say what we saw. … In appropriate circumstances, a judge can compel any of us to testify in court on those private communications.”

“There is no such thing as absolute privacy in America,” Comey said, because “there is no place in America outside of judicial reach.”

Comey added that he himself is a fan of privacy, especially with his Instagram account, which he said has nine followers and is limited to members of his family, and maybe a serious boyfriend of one of his daughters. “I don’t want anyone looking at my pictures,” he said.

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Comey did not mention Trump, though he did say that the Obama administration offered “clarity” for those “inside the government on who has what responsibilities,” including the FBI’s responsibility, which was “threat response.”

The FBI director declined to answer any questions from reporters packed in the back of the event hall, though he did take four questions from attendees that included high-profile members of the defense, health care and law enforcement sectors. The questions concerned advice for businesses in tackling cybersecurity threats.

Before diving into his 45 minutes of remarks, Comey made clear that he would not take questions from the media or about issues he didn’t want to talk about.

“I’m very slippery,” he added.

