​James Comey faces backlash for arguing Trump should not be prosecuted after leaving office

James Comey, the former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director previously fired by President Donald Trump, is facing serious backlash for his recent remarks regarding the possibility of the president being prosecuted after leaving office.

In an excerpt from Comey's new book published by The Guardian, Comey argues that "President-elect Joe Biden's attorney general should not "'pursue a criminal investigation of Donald Trump no matter how compelling the roadmap left' by the special counsel Robert Mueller, or 'how powerful the evidence strewn across his history of porn stars and financial fraud.'"

"Although those cases might be righteous in a vacuum," Comey wrote, "the mission of the next attorney general must be fostering the trust of the American people."

As reports about the excerpt began circulating on social media, Twitter users reacted with stark criticism toward Comey.

CNN Legal Analyst Elie Honig also admitted that while he does agree with one aspect of Comey's argument, he strongly disagrees with the idea of seemingly "ignoring" Trump's repeated offenses. "Agree with Comey that 'the mission of the next AG must be fostering the trust of the American people.' An obvious proposition," Honig tweeted, adding, "*Disagree* that the way to do that is by utterly ignoring - not even investigating - years of potentially criminal conduct."

Comey also touched on the possibility of Trump issuing a pre-emptive pardon for himself. Referencing the 1915 Supreme Court ruling, Comey argued that a presidential pardon would come across as an "admission of guilt," according to The Hill.

"By pardoning a resigned president, Ford had held [Nixon] accountable in a way that Trump would not be, even where he to be pardoned after losing re-election. That might not be enough accountability in Trump's case. Or it may be, especially if local prosecutors in New York charge Trump for a legacy of financial fraud."