Which president appointed FBI Director James Comey? Answer Wiki. James Comey was appointed by to the office of the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by President Barack Obama in June of 2013, with rumors speculating that this would happen about a month earlier. He was confirmed by the Senate on July 29, 2013, and assumed the office at 4:32 pm on September 4th, 2013. he will serve a ten year term. Before being the director of the FBI, Comey was the United States Deputy Attorney General under George W. Bush and ran the day-to-day operations for the Department of Justice.