Former FBI Director James Comey admitted during an interview released Monday that he had a "negative opinion" of President Donald Trump from before he ever met him.
Comey, who has been accused of bias against Trump back when he ran the FBI, spoke with BBC "Hardtalk" host Stephen Sackur about his view of Trump.
"It seems to me that in your dealings with Donald Trump from the very get-go, from your first meeting with him before the inauguration in January of 2017, you – very far from bringing a blank slate to your view of him, to your meetings with him – you were deeply suspicious and skeptical of Trump from the start. And that comes out clearly in your recollections, in your memoir," Sackur said.
"Sure, that's because I'm a human being," Comey said. "That's not a political judgment."
Sackur confronted Comey on his comparison of Trump – from the beginning of their interactions – to a "Mafia Don."
Sackur also said many of Comey's observations of Trump were personal and not political, citing notes Comey made of Trump's appearance.
"But it smacks of a negative opinion that you brought to the table," Sackur said.
"I had a negative opinion of him that was fact-based," Comey said. "I had serious concerns about his ability to respect the obligation to tell the truth."
Since Comey was fired as FBI director by the president, he has been very critical of Trump publicly and recently wrote a book, A Higher Loyalty, which he has been promoting. Comey, who used notes from his tenure as director to write the book, has argued it is about leadership and not primarily about the Trump administration and his experience working as FBI director.