Story highlights Brown called Comey's public remarks about the Hillary Clinton email investigation "very bad and unprofessional"

He said Comey's firing on the heels of asking for more resources in the Trump-Russia investigation "smells. No question about it"

The White House's narrative on the reasons for Comey's firing has shifted

Brown said he would like to see both sides of the aisle come together to get some definitive answers on the Russia questions

Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown spoke about the Comey fallout to David Axelrod in a special conversation on "The Axe Files," airing Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on CNN.

(CNN) Many have raised the specter of former President Richard Nixon and the "Saturday Night Massacre" in the wake of FBI Director James Comey's ouster this week, but California Gov. Jerry Brown is careful not to draw too much of a comparison.

"I think it was a different period," Brown said. "But I've seen the press trying to make that analogy thing. I think we are in a different period."

The Democratic governor spoke about the Comey fallout to David Axelrod in a special conversation on "The Axe Files," airing Saturday at 9 p.m. ET on CNN.

"I do think that Comey's public statements about the emails and Hillary was very bad and unprofessional, and he'd never even acknowledged it," Brown said. "So I think Comey has real serious problems."

Despite these concerns, Brown is skeptical of the timing of Comey's firing.

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