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Previously, Comey has defended his decisions as director, insisting he was trying to protect the FBI from even further criticism and \"didn't see that I had a choice.\"

\"The honest answer is I screwed up a couple of things, but ... I think given what I knew at the time, these were the decisions that were best calculated to preserve the values of the institutions,\" Comey recently told ABC News. \"I still think it was the right thing to do.\"

Goelman similarly defended his client's decisions, noting he has been a committed public servant for much of his life.

\"While pundits and politicians are using this matter to advance their agendas, the truth about Special Agent Strzok's character and professionalism is found in the fact that every witness asked by the [inspector general] said that Strzok's work was never influenced by political views. His dedication to unbiased service is a fact that would be universally echoed by the thousands of people who have worked with Pete during his 26 years of service in the FBI and U.S. Army.\"

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