Former FBI Director James Comey gets standing ovation at SF event

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- James Comey left San Francisco's Curran Theater where he spoke before a sold-out crowd. Love him or hate him, nearly 1700 hundred people came to see him in person.

"I have such mixed feelings about him," said Robin Tobias of Menlo Park.

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The former FBI director came to promote his new book, A Higher Loyalty. In it, he recounts his handling of the Hillary Clinton email case, which many say cost her the election, and his investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia, which others say helped launch the special counsel's investigation into the matter.

Comey has given several interviews since the book's release. Still, many bought tickets well over face value so they could hear him directly.

"I was interested because I think he's such a vital part of our history and I just wanted to hear more," said Doreen Sinha of Burlingame.

The media was not invited to the event, but many in attendance say they left the theater with more respect for Comey. They say the audience gave him a standing ovation.

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"Seeing his personality come to life and seeing that, you could see his good heart in the way he spoke and seeing that side of him definitely changed my opinion of him a little bit," said Nicole Garay, vice-chair of the San Francisco Republican Party.

"It was delivered with a lot of humility -- 'I might be right, I might be wrong, but I thought carefully about this and here's why I think what I think,'" said Douglas Neff of Oakland.

This was Comey's only stop in Northern California. He visits Boston next.

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