After James Comey’s wife, Patrice, revealed during Sunday night’s ABC News special that she was a ardent supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, on Monday’s Good Morning America, anchor George Stephanopoulos devoted an entire segment to fawning over the ex-FBI Director’s spouse.
Teasing the 7:30 a.m. ET half hour report, Stephanopoulos proclaimed: “We’re going to learn a lot more about her. I think it’s one of the things – she only popped up a little in the piece last night but when you find out that his wife and daughters were all in the march the day after the Inauguration...” Fellow co-host Robin Roberts chimed in: “The Women’s March.” Stephanopoulos promised: “...it’s something she explains a lot more about that at 7:30.”
At the top of the segment, the one-time Bill Clinton campaign operative proclaimed:
You saw a little bit of James Comey’s wife Patrice last night. She was introduced to the country for the first time, a passionate Hillary Clinton supporter who watched her college sweetheart get blamed for Clinton’s defeat. She describes the toll this took on their family and their lowest moment.
Stephanopoulos dramatically described: “January 21st, 2017, one day after President Trump is sworn in, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators take to the streets. Among them, the wife and daughters of FBI Director James Comey.”
A clip played of the anchor asking James Comey about his wife: “Your wife Patrice, Hillary Clinton supporter.” Comey proudly announced: “Oh, yeah. And I didn’t take a poll among all the kids, but I’m pretty sure that at least my four daughters, probably all five of my kids, wanted Hillary Clinton to be the first woman president.”
Patrice Comey eagerly told Stephanopoulos: “I wanted a woman president really badly and I had supported Hillary Clinton, a lot of my friends worked for her. And I was devastated when she lost.”
During a live interview with Stephanopoulos earlier in the broadcast, White House advisor Kellyanne Conway called out the political affiliation of the Comey family: “This guy swung an election. He thought the wrong person would win. His people in his household wanted the other person to win.” She proceeded to hammer James Comey for the “free political commercial” he was allowed to push against Trump.
Talking to Patrice Comey, Stephanopoulos wondered about her reaction to her husband’s decision to reopen the Clinton investigation in the wake of more e-mails being found on the laptop of Huma Abedin’s husband Anthony Weiner: “So what went through your mind when you saw that letter come out ten days before the election?”
Despite being a Clinton supporter, she acknowledged:
Here’s the thing, I knew that if there were e-mails that pertained to this investigation on Anthony Weiner’s laptop, the FBI had to go get them. They had to. And as a supporter of Hillary Clinton, I wanted her to say, “That’s what I want the FBI to do, of course they have to do that. I don’t want them on Anthony Weiner’s computer. And I’m sure it’s innocent, but that’s what they have to do.” But instead, I felt like she attacked the institution and my husband and I was disappointed. I still wanted her to win, and I have a bias, I know I have a bias because I love my husband and I trust him.
In report at the top of GMA, Stephanopoulos touted how he grilled James Comey over damaging Clinton’s electoral chances.
Talking about her husband’s firing, Stephanopoulos asked Patrice Comey: “It didn’t shock you?” She seized the opportunity to bash President Trump: “I knew that they were potentially on a collision course. At that point I believed he was not an ethical person, President Trump was not an ethical person. I knew my husband was.”
The anchor sympathetically questioned whether her husband was “misunderstood.” She replied:
I think there’s a great middle of people that, you know, see us all as Americans and the Russians came after us and our president isn’t really an honest person that we can trust. And I think a lot of people in the middle that aren’t, you know, that sit back and don’t always get involved, I’m hoping they’re listening and they’re getting involved.
Here is a full transcript of the April 16 report on Patrice Comey:
7:31 AM ET
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: But we do have more of that interview right now. You saw a little bit of James Comey’s wife Patrice last night. She was introduced to the country for the first time, a passionate Hillary Clinton supporter who watched her college sweetheart get blamed for Clinton’s defeat. She describes the toll this took on their family and their lowest moment.
January 21st, 2017, one day after President Trump is sworn in, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators take to the streets. Among them, the wife and daughters of FBI Director James Comey.
Take us inside your house at that point, you’ve written about this. Your wife Patrice, Hillary Clinton supporter.
JAMES COMEY: Oh, yeah. And I didn’t take a poll among all the kids, but I’m pretty sure that at least my four daughters, probably all five of my kids, wanted Hillary Clinton to be the first woman president.
PATRICE COMEY: I wanted a woman president really badly and I had supported Hillary Clinton, a lot of my friends worked for her. And I was devastated when she lost.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So what went through your mind when you saw that letter come out ten days before the election?
CECILIA VEGA: Secretary Clinton, any reaction to Director Comey re-opening his investigation into your e-mails?!
PATRICE COMEY: Whoa. Here’s the thing, I knew that if there were e-mails that pertained to this investigation on Anthony Weiner’s laptop, the FBI had to go get them. They had to. And as a supporter of Hillary Clinton, I wanted her to say, “That’s what I want the FBI to do, of course they have to do that. I don’t want them on Anthony Weiner’s computer. And I’m sure it’s innocent, but that’s what they have to do.” But instead, I felt like she attacked the institution and my husband and I was disappointed. I still wanted her to win, and I have a bias, I know I have a bias because I love my husband and I trust him.
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: May 9th, James Comey is in Los Angeles talking to FBI employees when he finds out he’s fired.
JON KARL: “You are hereby terminated and removed from office effective immediately.”
STEPHANOPOULOS: That’s it, the pinnacle of your professional career, it’s over.
JAMES COMEY: Yup, over in a flash. Yeah, makes no sense at all.
STEPHANOPOULOS: At the same time, across the country, his wife Patrice.
PATRICE COMEY: My phone was blowing up. I was at a little – a happy hour thing with some friends and had no idea this was coming and my phone started blowing up. And so I called him and he did answer and – the first time he answered, he didn’t know what was going on. And then, he called me back and said it’s true.
STEPHANOPOULOS: You knew.
PATRICE COMEY: When I saw it on the news? Yeah, yeah.
STEPHANOPOULOS: It didn’t shock you?
PATRICE COMEY: I knew that they were potentially on a collision course. At that point I believed he was not an ethical person, President Trump was not an ethical person. I knew my husband was.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Jim said he was surprised, confused, not angry. Were you angry?
PATRICE COMEY: I think I got angry before he did, yeah. I still feel a little angry at people that we trusted and knew and that know my husband and knew him in public life and worked with him that haven’t – that have kind of turned on him. But it is – we’re really living in times when people are loyal to – you have to pick a side.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Through this whole experience, what was the lowest moment?
PATRICE COMEY: Wow, I think the lowest moment was when we were in our house and the press was at the end of our driveway and he was told he couldn’t even come in and pack his office up and say good-bye and it just – it was almost like a shunning, yeah. And that was a low point. But I think we rebounded after that pretty quickly.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you think he’s misunderstood?
PATRICE COMEY: I don’t – you know, I think some people – probably by some people. I think there’s a great middle of people that, you know, see us all as Americans and the Russians came after us and our president isn’t really an honest person that we can trust. And I think a lot of people in the middle that aren’t, you know, that sit back and don’t always get involved, I’m hoping they’re listening and they’re getting involved.
STEPHANOPOULOS: They’ve been together for four decades, met in college. And you can see there how much they share.
ROBIN ROBERTS: Yeah, that is evident. So he’s going to be here tomorrow?
STEPHANOPOULOS: Live tomorrow, right her on GMA.
ROBERTS: And his book is out tomorrow as well.
