Here in gw theater, we will. Thank you very much for coming. We do a number of events each year here at gw, and this great auditorium and then a couple of other menus, we really value a partnership with gw, here is terrific and then make events like this possible. I just want to express our gratitude for the efforts that they put into it tonight his if it. Our featured authors this evening of course is josh campbell, spent more than a decade as an fbi, and various roles involving terrorism and kidnapping investigations in multiple oversees of assignments as well as assent as a special assistant to then fbi director james comey. Josh resigned from the bureau about a year and half ago in february 2018, walking out of the doors of the Fbi Field Office in los angeles for the last time. Away from service in Law Enforcement that he had really enjoyed. He says played an Important Role in his own career development. He says he left because he no longer could stand silently by in the face of a Relentless Campaign by donald trump and the political allies of his. To undermine and discredit the fbi. These days josh appears on cnn reporting on and commenting about Law Enforcement issues. He describes his own political leanings as middleoftheroad. Noting that he is supported both republicans and democrats. His new book, crossed by a hurricane. It isnt even out yet. Yall are i can take a real jump on it. Its official releases tomorrow. Its really unusual to be holding an if it this early. Its definitely the world premiere. The title crossfire hurricane, comes from the fbi codename for the initial investigation in the trump campaigns ties to russia. That codename intern is taken from the Rolling Stone song jumping jack flash. In the book josh retraces the early days of the Russian Investigation. Trying both on his firsthand experience and also his reporting from sources some of whom are within the fbi still. He provides a very informative behind the scenes account with adds to the public his understanding of the fbi and the pro into rushers effort to tilt the u. S. Political process. Now josh is reluctant and profiting from the story he tells and has announced that half his earnings from the book will go to a fund established by the fbi agents association. That Fund Supports the families of agents killed in the line of duty and covers the elliptic expenses of their surviving children. [applause] as an added attract this evening, but will be in conversation here with james comey. The director comey was just staying backstage he rarely does events like this. This may be the first time hes actually been in conversation with another author which gives you a sense of his regard for josh. He of course wrote his own book the higher loyalty just published nearly a year and half ago. Not only retract counting the highlights of his distinguished peer career but also seeking to promote discussion about Ethical Leadership and our nations whole values. Core values. Ladies and gentlemen please we will me in joining both josh and mr. Coleman. [applause] josh privilege. Hes really tall as me. [laughter] that is wally ngo. Names i still remember. There, dogs encumber docs for the fbi. Theyve done so much good for so many people who suffered mass shootings, terrible things that have happened, those dogs have brought peace to hundreds and hundreds of people. So thats we want to be the first. When we have the they were here first. You all look great the way. [laughter]. We will to Josh Campbells book if it. I will be the interviewer tonight nothing interviewed me ive never done this before and i dont know many people i would do it for except josh campbell. So let me start with first off congratulations on book. Its not out. [laughter] another 12 hours. Me start with a softball. As i survey your career. I see something of a pattern. I see that you work closely with me and i was trashed by the trump and fired. I see work closely with anna mccabe who was trashed by the drug and been fired. I also know that you work closely with bob bullard, who came close to be getting tired. The fact i was definitely trashed and so my first question is are you the problem . [laughter] [applause] scenic are they all going to be like this . [laughter] starting at the beginning, tell the folks how you ended up in the fbi. A little bit about yourself and your story. First thank everybody for being here. My first book in person this, am glad you know all part of it even more special that this is happening before the actual release. So things were coming out. Thank you for your support. Question inside the fbi. My career started in earnest on september 11th 2001. And i was a College Freshman at the university of texas in austin. Id been just over a week into my college career, when the attacks happened and up to that. , i thought i was going into the foreign service. That was my goal at that. Was to work in Foreign Policy to surf as a diplomat in the state department. Watching the events occur on a day, like so many of us made me feel very diplomatic. At that moment hand are right that in the book a little bit just kind of that calculus. As i watched the if it take place in the response. I was really focused on the First Responders and the aftermath. The fbi agents. They were trying to deal with what had just occurred and trying to investigate what just happened. In trying to bring to justice anyone who may have been associated with that. Obviously we all have a reaction but that was an immediate change for me as far as what i wanted to do. Career wise. I oriented, especially everything about my college career, towards the fbi, the fbi has College Intern program that theyve pitched all of the student year. In a junior college, they have people come here to the uber building and you know able to experience the fbi. Each division at the time got to send an intern and i was fortunate enough and honored enough to be picked. I came and spent the summer with the abi. I immediately fell in love with it. I was fortunate to come back after graduating thats how it all started. C1 20 cohen became a special agent in what year. I started in the bureau than on agent role working with more as you mentioned and then in 2008, went to the academy for this new agent training and graduated in august of 2008 and then into the field. Breakaway people can move into this. Come in as a non agent role and move into an agent role. First assignment was to los angeles. I write in the book that graduation i was fortunate enough to be asked for to be classic are. I represent the class. I was supposed to speak before bob muller was seated in an area just like this. Going in, i wanted to describe fbi his mission, since i had the opportunity to work the director his office, him speak numerous times. I decided to quote him in my speech. I didnt think through what i used was some of his greatest hits. As im giving the speech i turned to look at him and theres this glare. [laughter] and is marking out so that was great. [laughter] 70f to the podium, after the speech, had this kind of mythical status the embrace as a tyrant. As i started off and said some of you may not know that josh used to work for me the Directors Office and he says i told him that if he screwed up his class speech, his first assignment would not be to los angeles but to yemen. [laughter] are elected going to yemen. Los angeles was the first office thankfully. It was a great experience. What was great about the bureau and was less right. What met your expectations and what did it. The great part was easy and is the people. And this just not a throwaway line. Its really different. I worked for places before the bureau. I went to a law firm and you meet people that they do good things they do good work that is used to mention, transmission, these people who dedicate their lives to the mission. That was special. I saw that from the very beginning. The moment i began as an intern and throughout the organization. What is interesting is that its like any company, there are people that you think how did that guy get in here. And on every squad fbi across the field, there was always that one person i was thinking how did that person get in here. Maybe that person was me. [laughter] scratch that. But it really was a great place. The people who can get up every day, and do it for the money. They do it for the mission. Thus protecting the American People and upholding the constitution of the united states. Not to fast forward is it too far but i do want to add one caveat to the intro there. What i do know, the fbi in defending the fbi people. I do want to. Out to to all of us know. What i do now its not in defense of the fbi or in defense of fbi people, is at times defending our institutions of justice from unfair political attacks. Which is a lot different than defending agency, the fbi can defend itself. They screw stuff up just like any agency. And they are held to account. I think its important to. That out. Overall, any of you have the opportunity to meet someone who is with the fbi, youll notice Something Different and i think is that orientation or in the mission. What frustrated you about the break bureau. [laughter] we have anything. [laughter] it was nut job i heard. [laughter] [applause] a sale like a direct quote read [laughter] its not a copout but there is a typical thing, the hours were sometimes crazy. I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time over international team, that worked a lot of cases of disease. Just like anything else, you are dealing with bureaucracy. There is a colleague of mine in the audience i know who i wont name was been with me overseas a lot on these missions. Maybe halfway around the globe and we get a call from some 202 number and fbi headquarters at 3 00 oclock in the morning. The first thing, are you awake. Its like i am now but, can we buy you a globe. So you can see how the sun orbits around and obviously there Still Mission driven. They are calling about some new investigation or something that we need to do. Sometimes its very administrative. Saint it with that but that happens in any company thing. Any organization defined that bureaucracy. Circle back to the good part. The people. How did you end up our license could sound like a critical question but how did you end up as my special assistant. Im glad that you did josh. Tell the folks how you ended up here. What did you do. It all started with a tweet actually. Which is true right. If i went to work for the director, loves doing a headquarters tour and management assignment in Public Affairs. One of the duties included managing the fbi his twitter account. That was fun. It was nerveracking is it too. Because before you would click send on a tweet, youd have to see your career flash before your eyes. They misspell something or did i really something that was inappropriate. The storm has been changed correct. [laughter] back in the day, [laughter] back in time. This is very funny. I said sweet, tonights or watch park and rec great ratio right. So this guy name Barry Macklin it was a wannabe fbi agent and it was chris pratt who played this kind of goofy character. Mri. He had a straitjacket and all this funny stuff. So when that show went off of the air. I was personally devastated. I decided to send the show a farewell tweet after they went off the air. So i said something so long the lines of you know unconventional but we will miss you macklin. In that it just exploded on twitter. People are like zero my god the fbi agent has a sense of humor. [laughter] they watch television. They watch modern television. But it was funny in the bureau because, i just thought screw it all just do it. But then the calls immediately started up the chain of command. Like what you doing, this its not what we do. I even included the recruiting ladies i wanted to tie this back to it. This was to cause but was so funny was i come into work one day and i think it was on a monday, seven over the weekend and i am a voicemail. I met a couple of times you know who i was but theres this boy spent the said hi josh, this is jim colby, i just want to say thank you for the treat. That was so great. Are you kids said it was awesome so that trickled off and thanks for doing something unconventional and pushing the envelope. So i played that voicemail to all of the people. [laughter] told people who are criticizing me. And then some organizations, some leaders change our view immediately after hearing the director is now interested. So i guess thats how i got on your radar. And then, i had the opportunity to add an if it with Chuck Rosenberg who was the acting head of the dba, youll see him now on and be see in the lb talking about legal issues. He went ahead at the dea. It is on opioid abuse. Some kind of Public Service announcement. Check was running very late. Were there at the if it i found myself in this room. I was there for Public Affairs with the director. This was the norm, he would just interview people. To Start Talking to them. Who are you and just Start Talking to them. What i didnt know was finally called me about the tweet so i knew i was on his radar but i said and realized it was a Job Interview which i didnt realize. He asked me how are things going in the fbi. The u. S. , my doing. I remember pausing taking so the ceo is asking me how i think he is doing. The unit there was i was a week and a off from being my headquarters assignment going back to the field. So this happened in a split second but it felt like an eternity c. Im going to the field theres nothing they can do to me, [laughter] semi to the field right. So when am i going to have this audience again. You want to say was on your mind. So i explained the things that i had issues with and challenges any probe the little bit. Tell me more tell me more. I left that meeting thinking well that was cool got to talk to the director of the fbi and i got some things off of my chest that i wanted to change. I get this call now that ive been hired on to his staff. [laughter] via special assistant. I remember the first time i saw you after that, the first thing he says is yet you are here to fix all that stuff you said was all screwed up. [laughter] which is Pretty Amazing and i think folks you know, its stage for a relationship. Ive got a really cool nickname out of it. Not being a contrarian but you remember the dr. Now. [laughter] id come off of an if it and in any leadership role, but especially the fbi directors role. A lot of sucking up goes on but you never did. I want to. That out. I came out of an if it he would tell me i was awesome. And josh would whisper in my ear, you know. [laughter] good but not your best. Thats what he would whisper. So became a running joke that was eager to get to the plane and say what what was. So i get to thanks you. Thats a true story about the treat. I had never watched parks and recreation home having dinner that weekend with trees and the kids and one of my daughters says, dad, someone sent an hilarious tweet from the fbi. She did explain it for me. I said i dont know who this guy is. She said it doesnt matter, find out who that person is. [laughter] so talking down. Okay so we travel a lot together. Why were my hotel rooms always so small and smaller than years. [laughter] wow, we are really digging in here. Actually thats a true story. He would call sometimes, you know the back they sometimes have a fire met which is the height size of the hotel. Im looking at yearend 208 and its this big, my room is like a third of the size of pictures, [laughter] i am spending all of my time in this room while you guys are out having fun. It was keep me safe. This will we told him, and interior tiny space so we know you are safe. Well go with that. [laughter] it worked beautifully. I got fired. You know there that day. You write about it in the book. So i guess wont spend time on that. Tell me what happened with your career at the bureau after i was fired. Is the very tumultuous time period. So again going back to may 2017 on the fbi directors was hired, and that officially sets the stage a pit about. Begin the theme of the book is, the campaign of attack that is transpired against the fbi, gets it Justice Department were for legal reasons. To undermine bubbler, these investigations, they have real consequences on public safety. And what i. Out and this is what a lot of folks inside of the bureau believed then and so believe that if the public loses faith in Law Enforcement in the fbi, in these agencies, then we are all of safe because if an fbi agent noxon someone store, they need help in solving a crime, or the trying to recruit a source to go with the fbi cant go. If for a moment, they hesitate and say well, i dont think im going to be part of this because of heard and seen on the news our elected leaders say that these people are bad corrupt people. That has consequences of public safety. I mention this as a preface because it was a really around that time after the firing, and then we are in that time. Where andy mccabe is the acting directory of the rear of trying to grapple with what has just happened. The public didnt yet know about the loyalty dinner about the president as you mentioned, try to get you to drop the lend investigation and the like. But once i came out, it was very chaotic. Again not only the bureau but country trying to figure out what is happening here. Its just these are the actions taking place that this agency is staring out trying to figure out what happened. Bob muller comes on the scene and then there are some sense of normalcy so to speak whenever that investigation then goes to him. But i write about that in the book right after his firing, how the agency is dealing with this. And then as i and what was interesting is that leads to later that year, my colleagues and i would see this psychologist campaign of attack. The political campaign. The reddick rhetoric heating up. The thanks lighting. Commanderinchief is staying that i am being targeted by people who were breaking the law essentially. To say ive been targeted politically. That president obama satisfy into my campaign. Thin