Comey Claims Booking Was Canceled by Fox, Network Says He Was Never Booked

Former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey leaves the Rayburn House Office Building after testifying to the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 7, 2018. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Former FBI Director James Comey claimed that he was booked on “Fox & Friends” but that the booking was canceled. Fox said his claim was not true.

Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz released a report on Dec. 9 outlining the FBI’s abuse of the FISA system under Comey’s leadership. Comey reacted by claiming vindication.

He later told supporters on Twitter: “I offered to go on Fox & Friends to answer all questions. I can’t change their viewers on Donald Trump but hoped to give them some actual facts about the FBI.”

“They booked me for tomorrow at 8 a.m. They just cancelled. Must have read the report,” he said.

But Fox News said that Comey was never booked.

“James Comey was not booked and was never confirmed to appear on ‘Fox & Friends,’” it said in a statement sent to news outlets.

After writer Ben Domenech wrote on Twitter wondering if Comey had “apologized for lying yet,” Keith Urbahn, who works for the Javelin agency, backed Comey. “Hi Ben. I know this is isn’t a lie because *I* booked the @foxandfriends interview for 8 am tomorrow, and it was abruptly pulled while we were awaiting car and final hit time,” he wrote.

Comey shared Urbahn’s post.

Neither side has released evidence supporting their claims.

Several Fox anchors asked Comey to go onto their shows after he made his claim about a booking being canceled.

“We have reached out to your staff and invited you to come on tonight. Hope you will join us,” Martha MacCallum, anchor of “The Story,” wrote to Comey. Fox anchor Bret Baier added: “We’d love to have you back on @SpecialReport Mr Comey—live or pretape. I have read the report. Just DM me.”

Comey on Monday claimed that Horowitz’s report showed the investigation into President Donald Trump’s campaign “was just good people trying to protect America.”

Horowitz found rampant abuse of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), including agents providing false information to obtain or maintain warrants on Trump campaign associate Carter Page.

“In the rush to obtain and maintain FISA surveillance of Trump campaign associates, FBI officials misled the FISA court, omitted critical exculpatory facts from their filings, and suppressed or ignored information negating the reliability of their principal source,” Attorney General William Barr said.