You've probably got a better understanding of the legal issues than I do… but I can say that when I reflect now on my experience of Comey's public statements in 2016 I find them utterly perplexing. At that time I had NO idea of the level of fuckery we are dealing with. But I was utterly shocked by Comey's declination to prosecute and I know this played a major role in getting me to investigate further, and by election day I was a hard-core Trump supporter, while I had had a negative attitude towards him previously. I KNOW Comey's actions played a role in getting me not only to VOTE for Trump, but to become pretty active in investigating wtf was going on. Again, not certain of the legal issues or how to assess Comey, but I know that he influenced me and in what direction….
I haven't really examined Comey carefully once I dove into the deep end, so others likely have better insights there…