The Comey effect: 10 years ago, an FBI news conference changed America

NBC News Clone summarizes the latest on: Comey Effect 10 Years Ago Fbi News Conference Changed America Rcna352624 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone. This article is rewritten and presented in a simplified tone for a better reader experience.

“It is hard to think of another single event in the last decade that has had such far-reaching and sweeping and unintended global consequences as Jim Comey’s press conference,” said one historian.

July 5, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT

By Ryan J. Reilly

On the morning of July 5, 2016, the word went out to reporters on the Justice Department beat: Get down to FBI headquarters, the brutalist J. Edgar Hoover Building on Pennsylvania Avenue.

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Trump never cared about us’: Ukraine smarts at U.S. pressure and deal with Putin

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFacing smaller crowds and low approval ratings, Trump tries to rally the base

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAcross both parties, Black candidates look to make history in governor’s races

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbortion isn’t top of mind for voters, but Democrats are betting it could motivate their base

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJane Doe’s night started with catching up. It ended with a frat party that changed everything.

The Comey effect: 10 years ago, an FBI news conference changed America

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Trump never cared about us’: Ukraine smarts at U.S. pressure and deal with Putin

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFacing smaller crowds and low approval ratings, Trump tries to rally the base

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAcross both parties, Black candidates look to make history in governor’s races

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbortion isn’t top of mind for voters, but Democrats are betting it could motivate their base

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJane Doe’s night started with catching up. It ended with a frat party that changed everything.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFlock ‘false flags’ lead to frightening motorist encounters with police

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInside one country’s ambitious campaign to plant 50 billion trees

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOne year on, Gaza ceasefire exists ‘in name only,’ aid groups say amid near-daily Israeli strikes

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBad blood spills over in the Texas Senate race — and it’s tearing Republicans apart

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI said it solved hundreds of math problems. The results are dividing mathematicians.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDaytime Russian strikes on Kyiv shatter residents’ illusion of safety

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom ‘Artificial’ to ‘Musk’: Hollywood puts tech giants under microscope

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRepublicans stay bullish on Texas governor’s race, but two key groups present challenges

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. team’s chastening 2-0 loss to Spain a wake-up call ahead of the 2027 Women’s World Cup

FOR SUBSCRIBERSPolice found her roommate dismembered. Then they connected her to another years-old mystery.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERS‘Trump never cared about us’: Ukraine smarts at U.S. pressure and deal with Putin

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFacing smaller crowds and low approval ratings, Trump tries to rally the base

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAcross both parties, Black candidates look to make history in governor’s races

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbortion isn’t top of mind for voters, but Democrats are betting it could motivate their base

FOR SUBSCRIBERSJane Doe’s night started with catching up. It ended with a frat party that changed everything.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFlock ‘false flags’ lead to frightening motorist encounters with police

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInside one country’s ambitious campaign to plant 50 billion trees

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOne year on, Gaza ceasefire exists ‘in name only,’ aid groups say amid near-daily Israeli strikes

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBad blood spills over in the Texas Senate race — and it’s tearing Republicans apart

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI said it solved hundreds of math problems. The results are dividing mathematicians.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDaytime Russian strikes on Kyiv shatter residents’ illusion of safety

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom ‘Artificial’ to ‘Musk’: Hollywood puts tech giants under microscope

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRepublicans stay bullish on Texas governor’s race, but two key groups present challenges

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. team’s chastening 2-0 loss to Spain a wake-up call ahead of the 2027 Women’s World Cup

FOR SUBSCRIBERSPolice found her roommate dismembered. Then they connected her to another years-old mystery.

Related Articles