On May 9, 2017, President Donald J. Trump fired former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey. In a letter penned to Comey, Trump referenced letters from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein that recommended Comey’s firing. While wishing Comey the best in his future endeavors, Trump also said, “It is essential that we find new leadership for the FBI that restores public trust and confidence in its vital law enforcement mission.”
In his free time since his termination, Comey compiled the tell-all memoir “A Higher Loyalty.” Officially released on this past Tuesday, excerpts from the book have dominated the airwaves for days.
The fallout has been fierce. As Comey makes the rounds promoting his memoir, people from the both the right and the left are lining up to voice their discontent.
The President has been one of Comey’s loudest critics. Earlier this week Trump tweeted this:
In another tweet on this Sunday, the President said:
The President has several reasons to feel unenthusiastic about the release of the former FBI director’s revealing book. In the memoir, Comey suggests that Trump requested his loyalty on two separate occasions. The controversial former FBI head suggested the President reminded him of a “mob boss.”
Explaining his opinions about the leadership culture at the White House, Comey wrote, “The loyalty oaths, the boss as the dominant center of everything, it’s all about how do you serve the boss, what’s in the boss’ interests. It’s the family, the family, the family, the family. That’s why it reminds me so much and not, ‘So what’s the right thing for the country and what are the values of the institutions that we’re dealing with?’”
Defending the accusations, the President said in a third tweet:
Besides Trump, both former and current FBI agents are reportedly furious with Comey. On CNN host Wolf Blitzer’s show, Jamie Gangel revealed that FBI sources feel the memoir crosses the line of professionalism the previous head of the FBI once held the organization to. Gangel said her sources believe the book will further deteriorate the FBI’s already sullied reputation.
Referring to the book, former FBI Special Agent Bobby Chacon said Comey, “lost the respect of a lot of agents.” Twenty-five-year FBI veteran James Gagliano called Comey’s memoir, “self-serving, narcissistic.”
Confronting comments Comey made in his book about her, former Attorney General Loretta Lynch came out swinging by releasing a statement on April 15, 2018. In the memoir, Comey wrote about the time Lynch asked him to publicly refer to the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private e-mail server as a “matter” rather than an “investigation.”
In an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, the disgraced former FBI director revealed the request made him feel “uncomfortable.” He stated, “It did worry me that the attorney general’s direction was tracking that effort to avoid using the word ‘investigation.’ And so, to be honest, it gave me a bad feeling.”
Allegedly, the appeal especially flustered Comey because the Clinton campaign was using similar language at the time to spin the probe.
Defending her actions, Lynch stated that she “did what I always do: rise above politics and uphold the law.” She also said, “The Justice Department’s handling of the Clinton email investigation under my leadership was no exception.”
The previous Attorney General went on to add, “Any suggestion that I invoked this bed rock policy for any reason is simply false. At no time did I ever discuss any aspect of the investigation with anyone from the Clinton campaign or the DNC.”
Addressing the former FBI director, Lynch said, “I have known James Comey about 30 years. Throughout his time as Director we spoke regularly about some of the most sensitive issues in law enforcement and national security. If he had any concerns regarding the email investigation, classified or not, he had ample opportunities to raise them with me both privately and in meetings. He never did.”
~ American Liberty Report
