Speaking to the crowd, Comey said:
'There is a deep state in this sense. There is a collection of people, CIA, NSA, FBI in the United State military services who care passionately about getting it right, who care passionately about the values we try to talk about.
'No matter how they vote or how they talk at home, try desperately to do the right thing. That is deep, that is unchangeable actually.
'No president at a single term could screw it up. It would take generations to change the culture of the United States military in its essence, federal law enforcement, of intelligence community. It would take generations, and that should comfort us.
'There is a ballast, there is deep ballast in America. There is not a deep state conspiring against the elected leadership of our government.
'In fact the adherence to values and the loyalty to the nation makes all of those people who are the ballast of this country desperately want the elected leadership of this country to succeed.'