On the 9^th of May 2017, media outlets went wild when the President fired the head of the FBI, James Comey, in a shocking turn of events. The official statement from the White House said that the President ‘acted on the clear recommendations’ of the attorney general’s office.

The real reason for the abrupt dismissal of Comey is up for debate. The two-and-a-half page memo penned by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein centers on restoring ‘public confidence in the FBI’. The document points the finger at Comey’s recommendation to not charge Hillary Clinton over the 2016 email scandal for inciting a lack of public trust. However, it’s been largely speculated that the launch of investigations into Russian influences over the recent presidential election is really to blame.

Although the President denies that the investigation held any significance over his decision, in an interview with NBC’s Lester Hoult, he admitted ‘And, in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, ‘You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story. It’s an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won.’

This story is far from over and has piqued public interest, especially with Comey’s sensational testimony yesterday, in which he openly called the current POTUS a liar. There are talks of memo’s warning Comey against leaking any information to the media that may contradict the President, including information that the POTUS allegedly called for the jailing of journalists who published leaks of classified information. But, how much do we really know about former FBI director James Comey?

I’ve launched my own investigation to unearth some facts that might surprise you. From aspects of his personal life to professional endeavours, here are 15 Shocking Facts About Former FBI Director, James Comey.

15. HE WAS ONCE HELD AT GUNPOINT BY A SUSPECTED RAPIST

When Comey was just a boy of 15, his family home was broken into by a criminal known as ‘the Ramsay rapist’. Comey and his younger brother were held at gunpoint by the criminal in their Allendale home in New Jersey, in 1977. The perpetrator had committed a string of offenses, including the rape of two local babysitters. According to NewJersey.com, the two brothers managed to escape after they climbed through the bathroom window. The offender met them on their front lawn, but the two managed to evade them and run back into the house, where they called the authorities. Comey has stated previously that this was a key moment in his life that helped him decide to pursue a career in law.

14. HE HAS WORKED ON EXTREMELY HIGH PROFILE CASES

14 years have passed since the high profile case where Martha Stewart was indicted on her dodgy stock market dealings. It was Comey that spearheaded the investigation in 2003, during his stint as a US attorney for the Southern District of New York. At the time, he made it clear that it had nothing to do with Stewart’s celebrity status and that she would receive fair treatment. He allegedly said: ‘Martha Stewart is being prosecuted not for who she is, but because of what she did.’ Stewart was found guilty of all charges and served five months in prison before her release in 2005.

13. HE CREATED A DEDICATED DRUG CARTEL UNIT

During his period with the US attorney’s office, Comey did some impressive work. He oversaw numerous terrorism cases as well as the prosecution of executives from very large corporations, such as WorldCom, Adelphia and Imclone on serious fraud and security charges. In short, he did a bang-up job. He even created a unit specifically dedicated to investigating and prosecuting international drug cartels, a huge problem in the US and worldwide. In the wake of all the controversy surrounding his dismissal, it may be easy to forget his past achievements in his previous roles, but Comey has a solid record serving America.

12. HE REFUSED TO BOW TO PRESSURE FROM THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION

Back in 2004, Comey was Acting Attorney General while General John Ashcroft was hospitalized. It was during this time that he came under pressure to certify the Bush Administration’s use of domestic wiretapping. Speaking later at a Senate Judiciary Committee, Comey said that the White House Chief of staff Andrew Card Jr. and White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales went so far as to visit General Ashcroft in hospital to try to get him to approve the program when he was in intensive care. Comey stuck by his guns, despite the deplorable attempts by the administration. If that’s not a testament to character, I don’t know what is.

11. HE STUDIED RELIGION AND CHEMISTRY

It might surprise you to know that Comey majored in religion and chemistry in college. He attended the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. His senior thesis was pretty complex, and something most of us wouldn’t be able to get our heads around – he analysed the liberal theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and the conservative televangelist Jerry Falwell. Yep, I have no idea either, but it sounds pretty complex. He moved on to gain his J.D from the University of Chicago Law School in 1985. That’s a great educational background for anyone in the justice sector, don’t you think? Incidentally, it’s also where he met his wife, Patrice Failor.

10. HIS WIFE IS PRETTY KICK ASS

As I previously mentioned, Comey met his wife Patrice Failor during his time at the College of William and Mary. The couple hit it off and were married shortly after leaving college in 1987. Failor is far from a housewife and has used her master’s degree in counselling to work as a court-appointed advocate in juvenile court. Just last year, her husband was present as she testified to the Connecticut Judiciary Committee that there was a need for much greater support for troubled and neglected children. As well as this, as a couple, Comey and Failor have fostered several children over the years.

9. 2016 WASN’T THE FIRST TIME HE INVESTIGATED THE CLINTONS

The email scandal wasn’t the first time that Comey delved a little deeper into the conduct of the Clintons. In fact, they have crossed paths not once, but twice before. In the 90’s, Comey was the Deputy Special Counsel on the Senate Whitewater Committee, which investigated the Clinton’s role in a failed real estate venture in Arkansas. A good few years later, he came up against Bill Clinton when he was the US attorney for the Southern District of New York. This time, he looked into the controversial pardoning of financiers Marc Rich and Pincus Green. Interestingly, Clinton waited until his last day in office before he cleared the two men. There were rumors that Clinton was paid off for the decision, but despite an investigation, Comey never charged the former President.

8. HE IS WORTH AN ESTIMATED $11 MILLION DOLLARS

Considering his once lucrative career, it may not surprise you to know that Comey is worth a pretty penny. Despite his government salary of only around $185k annually, he made the majority of his money working for private companies, Bridgewater Associates and Lockheed Martin between 2005-2010. He owned a $3-million-dollar home in Westport, Connecticut, before selling it earlier this year. The property was a seven-bedroom, 7,157 square foot house – incidentally, it was near properties previously owned by Martha Stewart. Despite all the controversy surrounding his dismissal from the FBI, he should just about manage to scrape by financially without collecting unemployment benefit.

7. HE SADLY LOST A CHILD FROM A TREATABLE ILLNESS

Comey and his wife tragically lost a baby boy at just nine days old in the 90’s. Collin Comey died of a bacterial infection, Group B strep. Although uncommon, if infants become infected it can be fatal if it doesn’t respond to treatment. While Collin was born a healthy baby boy, he picked up the infection while travelling through the birth canal, and despite best efforts, he sadly passed away. Failor wrote a heartfelt letter to raise awareness just a month after their loss, urging women to get tested, ‘I was helpless as I watched Collin die from an infection my doctor had never mentioned. But I am not helpless now in the fight against Group B Strep. Every baby I help save gives some meaning to Collin’s short life and tragic death.’

6. HE IS INCREDIBLY TALL

What might not always be apparent from your TV screens is that physically, Comey is a formidable figure. Standing at a huge 6 ft 8”, Comey is an intimidatingly tall man. His son, Brien, inherited his height from his father and played basketball for Kenyon College, Ohio. According to a profile of Brien on his college website, he aspired to be a law enforcement officer, interning at the Arlington County Virginia Police Department. It looks like more than just height runs in the family. Let’s hope his son has better luck working for the state than his father did.

5. WHILE WORKING AS ASSISTANT U.S ATTORNEY, HE ALSO TAUGHT LAW

During his time as the Assistant US Attorney for Virginia, he was also adjunct professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. For those of you who don’t know, an adjunct professor is a lecturer not on the traditional tenure track. Comey wouldn’t have needed the job for financial reasons, so it’s admirable given his other serious commitments with the US Attorney’s office that he would take the time to share his experience with up-and-coming lawyers. The post ended when he became the US attorney for the Southern District of New York and relocated with his family to Connecticut.

4. HE DISAGREED WITH OBAMA ON POLICING AND THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT

Last year during Obama’s final year of presidency, Comey and the former President butted heads over their view on policing. Comey publicly stated his belief that crime rates were higher as the officers were worried that they could be filmed and turned into viral sensations – for the wrong reasons. He said, ‘There’s a perception that police are less likely to do the marginal additional policing that suppresses crime — the getting out of your car at 2 in the morning and saying to a group of guys, ‘Hey, what are you doing here?'” This led to a meeting to discuss the issue, and Obama was quick to state that decisions on policing needed to be based on fact, not theory.

3. HIS COMMENTS ON THE HOLOCAUST GOT HIM INTO TROUBLE

A couple of short years ago, in April 2015, Comey made a speech at the United States Holocaust Memorial in Washington, centering around the importance of Holocaust education. In his speech, he mentioned ‘the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland, and Hungary.’ The comments sparked outrage as many believed he was wrongly indicating that Poland had as much to do with the Holocaust as Germany. When asked what he meant exactly, Comey said, “I regret linking Germany and Poland …The Polish state bears no responsibility for the horrors imposed by the Nazis. I wish I had not used any other country names because my point was a universal one about human nature.’

2. HIS FATHER DOESN’T LIKE THE POTUS AT ALL

Although Comey has been relatively reserved talking about the President (that is, until the testimony yesterday), his father has pulled no punches. 86-year-old J. Brien Comey told CNN, ‘Jim tells the truth, [the President] runs around lying most of the day.’ He didn’t stop there, going on to tell the network, ‘Oh my God, I think he should be impeached immediately – yesterday. He’s a very incompetent guy. He’s out of his league. I think the man should be in a home quite honestly, he’s crazy as a hoot.’ Of course, this made headline news, both bemusing and shocking the nation – and the world.

1. BOTH CLINTON AND POTUS BLAMED THEIR ELECTION DOWNFALLS ON HIM

Being the head of the FBI is clearly no easy feat, especially when it comes to dealing with presidential campaigns. We know that this is supposedly what led to Comey’s walk to the unemployment line, but despite his refusal to charge Clinton, he was still blamed for costing her the electoral college vote. His investigation into Clinton’s use of private email for confidential purposes led many to believe that it was damaging enough to lose her the presidency. On the other hand, the POTUS wasn’t happy either, as he believed that Clinton was being unfairly aided by not being prosecuted. Sometimes, you just can’t win.

Sources: cnn.com, nbc.com, heavy.com, abcnews.com