[Video below.] Former FBI Director James Comey said he has no intention of backing down from his criticism of President Donald Trump, arguing that speaking out is necessary for those concerned about the country, even as he faces criminal charges.

During an appearance on MS NOW’s “Deadline,” Comey accused Trump of being driven by a desire for retaliation against his critics and said that dynamic will not deter him from continuing to speak publicly.

“Donald Trump has a bottomless desire to gain revenge against those who criticized him. And I’m not going to stop criticizing him because I think that’s a that’s required if you care about America. And so it will just keep going. If he gets rid of Blanche, he’ll try to find someone else. Look at the bottom of every barrel there are still apples. And so he will find someone to do what he wants to do.”

Host Nicolle Wallace pressed Comey on the charges outlined in the indictment.

“What is it that you are accused of doing?”

Comey responded by describing the nature of the allegations.

“In the current indictment? Communicating, making and communicating a threat to assassinate the president of the United States.”

Wallace then asked him to explain his position in response to the accusations.

“And what did you actually do? What is your defense?”

Comey declined to address the substance of his defense publicly, citing legal restrictions and his respect for the judicial process.

“I’m not going to talk about that because I as I’ve said many times, I believe in the independent federal judiciary and the court rules require that if you’re participating in a criminal case, you don’t talk about it outside of court. And so we’ll have a lot to say in the courtroom. But I want to respect the rules and the court.”

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