The resistance is fired up and, in some cases, ready to pay a lot of money to see the fired FBI director. But is he really the conflicted superhero they need?

In a twist of fate that may have seemed bizarre back when bizarreness wasn’t so normal, one of the leading lights of the anti-Trump “resistance” is the ex-FBI director James Comey.

Since being fired by Donald Trump in May 2017, Comey has written a book and, this week, gone on a media blitz. The tour may not yet be over, either: some are already speculating that Comey could run for office.

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Would the left vote for Comey, even after how he handled Hillary Clinton’s emails? It remains to be seen, but one thing is sure – they’re willing to spend a lot of money to see him. On Thursday he was in conversation with the New Yorker editor David Remnick, and reports have suggested tickets have been going for $850.

Could this be right? Before taking my seat in the auditorium, I took to the streets outside to find out.

Upon first glance it’s a very New York crowd outside the theatre. There’s a mix of older intellectuals who probably own amazing apartments somewhere in Manhattan and urbane millennials who definitely do not.

“These are diehard New Yorker readers who are interested in politics and the events that are surrounding this administration,” a 65-year-old man with perfectly round glasses and a beret tells me.

What about him, I ask: is he a member of the resistance? “I wouldn’t call myself a member of the resistance – resistance to what?” he replies. Trump, I suggest. “I don’t support Trump but I wouldn’t say I’m an active part of the resistance.” Why? “Because I’m not actively resisting. I resist emotionally but I don’t necessarily do anything.”

Not everyone considers themselves so passive. Barbara Stendel is 63, unemployed, and paid $200 for a ticket – more than double face value. She gets a lot of her news from Facebook (“still!” she says) and is an avid user of Twitter. She follows a controversial mix of high-profile resistance members that have sprung up on its fringes. They include self-proclaimed experts, citizen journalists, and conspiracy theorists – people like Eric Garland, Claude Taylor, Seth Abramson and Louise Mensch (although she admittedly “takes Louise with a grain of salt”).

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Barbara, who attended to Comey/Remnick event in NYC. Photograph: Max Benwell

What brings Stendel here? “To see Comey live. You know, I follow him on Twitter, I marched in Washington. I’ve been very politically active since Trump won the nomination. Comey is very honourable and has stories to tell,” she says.

Would she vote for him if he ran for president? “Probably. He’s an honourable, stand-up guy.”

But what about the emails? “He felt he didn’t have a choice, and thought Hillary was going to win.”

Sarah Jordan, 80, her husband, Joe, 95, have travelled all the way from Philadelphia to see Comey. Both say Comey showed bad judgment in his handling of the Clinton email investigation, but they use a word to describe him that comes up a lot: “Despite what he did,” says Sarah, “he’s an honourable man.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sarah Jordan and her husband Joe, who travelled from Philadelphia for the show. Photograph: Max Benwell

Not everyone is so sold. Myrsini Stephanides is a 38-year-old literary agent and the daughter of Greek-Cypriot immigrants. She speaks highly of Comey, but remains “split” over whether she’s a fan. “He’s the opposite of Trump in terms of character and integrity and intelligence, so I want to hear him speak,” she says.

Would she vote for Comey if he ran for president? “To be determined,” she says. “But I would consider it.” What about his handling of the Clinton emails? “I have co-workers who went to college with him and he’s a man of integrity, people don’t question that,” she says. “Compared to who we have in office right now, I don’t think he did what he did lightly and I want to assume there was a reason for it.”

Meanwhile, Joy-Ann Reid, one of the leading figures of the resistance, has suddenly arrived. The host of AM Joy with Joy Reid on MSNBC, she has more than a million followers on Twitter, many of whom she has amassed since Trump’s election.

She’s a respected journalist and unafraid of calling out the administration. Does she consider herself part of the resistance? “I consider myself a part of the media,” she says before letting out an awkward laugh, making me think she may resent the question. “I have a take, a point of view – I’m alarmed, like I think any citizen would be, about foreign interference in our election, and I think everyone should be concerned about that.” However, she is a fan of the resistance. “It’s important that people are standing up for constitutional democracy,” she says. “It’s wonderful that people are engaged.”

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During the talk, Comey repeats a lot of what he’s already said during his many media appearances, but there are some illuminating moments. “Does the FBI have a file on Trump, and if so how many filing cabinets is it?” is one particularly good question he bluntly refuses to answer.

The two men also joke about the nine minutes it took Jason Chaffetz to leak Comey’s Clinton email (“there must have been a problem with his forwarding button”), and a re-enactment of Trump’s dinner invitation the night he asked him to pledge loyalty. He describes the president calling him up and asking him over to the White House’s Green Room the same night. “Isn’t that a bit rude?” Remnick interjects.

After the crowds file out of the theatre, I manage to bump into Remnick and ask him what he thinks. “It’s not your average book tour!” he says. “My objective was to get a rounded picture of what he believes and feels at any given time. I don’t think he feels like he’s part of any resistance. I think he’s trying to explain the position he was in in real time, and how excruciating it was. I think he wants to be understood by the people who are absolutely enraged by the present state of affairs.”

Regarding what he considers to be Comey’s weakest area, his answer is predictable. “The business of reopening the case was unnecessary. And that was borne out by the fact that they went through the emails and in a few days realised they were completely duplicative!”

So … would he vote for Comey if he ran for president? Standing atop a subway stairwell he laughs, waves me away, and disappears underground.



