Repeating an argument he’s made before, Former FBI Director James Comey said that while he considered Trump to be unsuitable for office, impeaching him "would let the country off the hook." | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 2020 Comey: Democrats 'have to win' the White House back from Trump

Former FBI Director James Comey on Sunday night implored Democrats to nominate a presidential candidate in 2020 who could unseat President Donald Trump, calling the president’s behavior in office "an attack on our values" and saying that Democrats “have to win” the presidency.

Comey pointed to Trump’s targeting of private citizens and political opponents — including himself — and calling for criminal investigations, as well as his history of making false statements, but cautioned that he didn’t think lawmakers should impeach the president and that Trump could potentially be reelected by a small plurality of voters.


“All of us should use every breath we have to make sure the lying stops on Jan. 20, 2021,” Comey told MSNBC’s Nicole Wallace in an interview in New York City, adding that record turnout in last month’s midterms made him optimistic.

The former FBI director has come under fire from Trump again in recent days both before and after Comey testified behind closed doors on Capitol Hill last week. Trump has denigrated the former FBI chief for what he says were lies to Congress about possible obstruction in the Russia probe and of leaking classified information to the media through an associate.

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Comey has emerged as a punching bag on the right, despite having been a registered Republican in the past, for his role in the Russia investigation but his status has risen with some on the left for his frequent rebuttals of Trump. And though he was quick to deny that he is considering a run for office, Comey engaged in some prognosticating for the upcoming election.

“I would be worried if a significant independent candidate emerged,” he said, predicting that Trump may be counting on such a candidate to split voters, but he also warned Democrats against nominating a candidate who can’t get out the vote of moderates.

Calling Trump a “threat” to the country’s values, he said that Democrats should put aside the ideological debates that have started taking place among 2020 prospects and place their emphasis on one goal: winning.

"I understand the Democrats have important debates now over who their candidate should be, but they have to win. They have to win," he said.

Comey reiterated his position that while he considered Trump to be unsuitable for office, impeaching him “would let the country off the hook.”

Anything less than a “landslide” election to oust Trump from office, he suggested, could leave what he estimated to be a third of the country believing they had witnessed a coup.

