I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

But I will bear true faith and allegiance to the sea, that I take this obligation freely.

Without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter.

So help me God, so help me God.

So help me God.

Welcome to the oath. I'm Chuck Rosenberg, and I am honored to be your host for a series of compelling conversations with really interesting people from the world of public service.

All of my guests share one thing. They took an oath, mandated by Congress, to support the Constitution of the United States, and to defend it against enemies both foreign and domestic.

I have taken or administered that oath many times throughout my long career and federal law enforcement, and each time I hear it, it inspires me a new.

Because with it, we dedicate ourselves not to any person or political party, not to any particular president, but to the Constitution of the United States, and to the ideals it represents.

On each episode, I speak with someone who fulfilled that solemn vow with the sincerity and dedication that it deserves.

Today, my guest is Jim Comey. Over the course of a long and remarkable career in public service, Jim has worked at the very highest levels of government in some of its most important roles.

He was a federal prosecutor in New York and Virginia before President Bush appointed him to be the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

It is one of the most important federal judicial districts in the nation.

Jim Comey later served under John Ashcroft as the deputy attorney general of the United States, the second highest position in the Department of Justice.

And in 2013, President Barack Obama selected Jim to be the seventh director of the federal Bureau of Investigation.

Jim and I go way back. He was my colleague and then my boss, but he has always been my friend.

Last year, he published a book, A Higher Loyalty, and despite knowing Jim for decades, I learned more about him from that book.

James Comey, thank you so much for being my very first guest ever.

It's great to be here, Chuck.

No, I thought your book was extraordinary. I really did.

But I was somewhat disappointed that a lot of what you talked about after the book came out had more to do with the last several chapters and little to do with the first several chapters.

And I hope you didn't mind sort of going back with me and talking about the first several chapters.

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