(CNN) If he had his way, former FBI Director James Comey would rather not see President Donald Trump impeached.

More interesting than the headline, though, is Comey's reasoning. And it's less to do with his unique proximity to Trump than his place in the Washington political firmament. With his book and in recent remarks, Comey is acting as an avatar for a certain way of thinking about American life. Unsurprisingly, his manner of mindfulness is most prevalent in the Beltway, where he's worked in positions of extraordinary power for more than a decade.

"I'll give you a strange answer," Comey said when the question was put to him by ABC's George Stephanopoulos during their interview . "I hope not, because I think impeaching and removing Donald Trump from office would let the American people off the hook and have something happen indirectly that I believe they're duty bound to do directly."

His argument, in short, is that American voters should reap what they've sown. This is not an uncontroversial opinion. But for now, let's jump ahead.

"People in this country need to stand up," Comey added, explaining how he'd prefer to see Trump ousted, "and go to the voting booth and vote their values."

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