James Comey pens Election Day op-ed: ‘Let’s vote to uphold our nation’s values’

Former FBI Director James Comey writes in an Election Day op-ed that many Americans are “stirring” from a political slumber as a result of the Trump administration’s actions.

In  a piece for The New York Times, Comey says that issues such as the president’s policy of separating migrant families at the southern border as well as his response to white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, Va., last year have caused major ripples across the electorate.

{mosads}”I feel the giant stirring. The awakening is slow, but it is underway. Torches and death in Charlottesville. Children in cages at the border. The lying, misogyny, racism and attacks on the rule of law from our president,” Comey writes in some of his most direct criticism of President Trump yet.

“These things poke the giant. It takes time, but the American people are stirring. They always do. And when they awaken, these fevers break very quickly,” he adds.

Comey goes on to urge Americans to “not become discouraged or complacent,” and calls on his fellow citizens to be “voting those values” that unify them on Election Day.

“Every American should be speaking about our nation’s values,” Comey writes. “Every American should be voting those values, which are far more important than even the most passionate policy differences. The history of America consoles us, but also calls us to action.”

Comey has remained a top critic of the president since he was fired last year, and released a book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership,” detailing his time in the Obama and Trump administrations up until his 2017 ouster, which the president said last year was due to Comey’s handling of the Russia investigation.

Trump himself has frequently lashed out at Comey on social media, accusing the former FBI director of leaking classified documents to the media.