Former FBI Director James Comey damaged public trust in the bureau and believed he was above the confines of Justice Department policy, according to Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga.
Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, said Thursday on "Special Report" the IG report showed Comey believed his role at the FBI was that of "judge and jury."
"James Comey was someone who cannot be trusted. James Comey had a personal vendetta," he said.
COMEY DEFIANT AFTER IG REPORT SAYS HE VIOLATED POLICIES, SAYS APOLOGY FROM CRITICS 'WOULD BE NICE'
"He believed that his role in the FBI was one that he was the ultimate arbiter of being judge and jury on anything he did or did not like. The problem we’re finding here is, and he can say anything he wants to, he can say that he didn’t lie but we know he did. He lied to the FBI when he told them he was not truthful about what he did with some of those memos."
Collins blasted the ex-director for calling for apologies on Twitter from his detractors.
"I don’t need a public apology from those who defamed me, but a quick message with a “sorry we lied about you” would be nice," Comey wrote.
Collins called such a solicitation a "joke."
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With the release of Michael Horowitz's report, the American people can finally consider the DOJ and FBI to be more trustworthy than they were in the Comey era, Collins claimed.
"There was a corrupt cabal [there] at the beginning of 2017," the lawmaker said, adding the Justice Department was all but "harassing" President Trump.
"They're gone -- that has now been put to rest and I think we can now begin to move forward with a Justice Department that can be trusted -- unlike when you had Jim Comey as the FBI director, who tarnished the trust of a great organization."
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