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Intensive care at a washington hospital. two of the president's top aides rush to his bedside, hoping to pressure him to sign off on a secret wiretapping program the night before it's said to expire. this was real though and what happened that might march 10th, 2004, put james comey, president obama's next pick for fbi director in the headlines. >> i was very upset, i was angry. i thought i had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man. >> reporter: comey was attorney general john ashcroft's deputy and with him sick he was the acting attorney jern. when then white house cou...

Episodes of the bush administration. like a scene out of a hollywood thriller, a critically ill attorney general is in intensive care at a washington hospital. two of the president's top aides rush to his bedside. hoping pressure him to sign off on a secret wiretapping program the night before it's set to expire. this was real, though. and what happened that night, march 10, 2004, put james comey, president obama's pick for next fbi director, in the headlines. >> i was very upset, angry. i thought i had just witnessed an effort to take advantage of a very sick man. >> reporter: comey was attor...

$32,000 each to dine with the commander in chief. new word this morning that president obama will nominate a former high-ranking bush official to run the fbi. james comey served as deputy attorney general under president george w. bush. he would replace robert mueller, who's stepping down as fbi director in september. cnn's brianna keilar has more on comey, who nine years ago played a major role in one of the most dramatic episodes of the bush administration. >> reporter: like a scene out of a hollywood thriller, a critically ill attorney general is in intensive care at a washington hospital...

Back in 2003. he says he considered resigning that position during a disagreement over a government wiretapping program. our story from brianna keilar. >> suzanne, james comey is currently a law pros professor at columbia university. nine years ago he was number two at the justice department when george w. bush was here in the white house. and during that time he was a major player in one of the most dramatic episodes of the bush administration. like a scene out of a hollywood thriller, a critically ill attorney general is in urgent care at a washington hospital, two of the president's top aid...

Doing what is easy and doing what is right. >> reporter: kagan sharply criticized key members of the bush white house over the administration's secret wiretapping program. she slammed alberto gonzales who, as white house counsel, once tried to pressure attorney general john ashcroft to approve the program while ashcroft was in the hospital. >> this is a story, to put it bluntly, of some lawyers who fail to respect the rule of law and of other lawyers who stood up for and vindicated it. >> reporter: on another video she takes a gentle dig at supreme court justice antonin scalia saying his harva...