James Comey: Far-right extremism threatens the US more than Islamist terrorism

14 January 2021, 19:03 | Updated: 14 January 2021, 19:05

By Sam Sholli

This is the moment former FBI Director James Comey told Iain Dale that far-right extremism is a bigger threat to the US than Islamist terrorism.

Mr Comey made the point while speaking to LBC's Iain Dale after Donald Trump made history by becoming the only US President in history to be impeached twice.

The House of Representatives voted 232 to 197 in favour of the article of impeachment, which declares Trump incited an insurrection against the government during the Capitol riots last week.

LBC's Iain Dale asked the ex-FBI Director: "Do you think far-right extremism in the US is a greater danger to the country than Islamist terrorism?"

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You can listen to Iain's full interview with James Comey from 9pm on LBC.

Mr Comey said it was and added: "The threat has slowly risen as Donald Trump and those around him have withdrawn the control rods.

"America has always had a radioactive stew of racist conspiracy-minded misogynist people oriented towards violence. We've always had that in this country.

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"But we've managed over generations to contain it inside a containment building as you would with a nuclear waste pile and put control rods down into it which we're cultural.

"And that calmed the radiation. And over the last five years Donald Trump and those around him have pulled the rods out with signals and dog whistles and sometimes explicitly..."