Mr. Comey made a sad mistake which caused Trump to get his hands on the reins of power in the USA. I wish he'd apologize more directly about this mistake, but at least he has acknowledged it.
But better than a stronger apology is Comey's clarion warning that Trump doesn't fit inside the normal political system of our nation: that Trump's a very, very strange and corrupt individual, and he's essentially trying to become a dictator.
Comey knows that such a thing can actually happen. We all should fear this and protect ourselves and our nation from Trump.
Trump--the guy who openly incited mob violence, just like the worst of the worst dictators. We heard him bellowing such things as, "Maybe someone should punch that guy. I'll pay your legal fees if you beat him up." This was terrifying to hear. And more terrifying, of course, has been Trump bragging about the size of his nuclear missiles, etc.
Trump makes Kim Jong-un appear totally rational. We know what the dictator of North Korea wants, but Trump is all over the place, an unstable Nero mad despot. He must be stopped and boxed in.
3
The premise of this piece is invalid, and it has little to do with Comey and everything to do with Trump.
There is no interpretation of the facts that don't make him and his administration an immediate and direct threat to democracy, here and around the world. It is not 'partisan' to do all in one's power to bring an end to this abomination. It is not even patriotism, but more it is the duty of everyone who cares in the slightest about the future of our civilization.
Clearly, Comey feels he can help by telling his story. Maybe he's right, and maybe not, but he should be credited for getting off the couch and doing something. Those who watch should be in less of a hurry to criticize those who do.
3
Comey strikes me as an otherwise sober and dedicated man, who was so stunned by the depths to which Trump stooped that he decided to let himsrlf just go somwhat unfiltered.
I disagree that this stains Comey. I think it humanizes him.
Trump slashed away at Comey's lifelong dedication to his country. Trump can't fathom that sort of dedication to anything but his own ego.
Comey is trying to stir the masses.
Yes..I was and remain angry about Comey's announcement about HRC emails 11 days before the election. I hear his explanation and do not doubt he believes what he says.
I disagree with his thoughts on NOT mentioning SOMETHING about Trump/Russia investigation back then. I think he failed to recognize the bigger pucture and how much the one-sided announcement might skew things.
Still..he strikes me as human and genuine and intent on helping us escape from the nightmare somehow.
Like everyone he misses his mark here and there, but, still, overall,I am grateful for his voice right now even if I cannot forgive him the error of robbing us of a Clinton win.
Did he change his mind about the President after he was fired. Otherwise he should have resigned
James Comey’s new book, “ A Greater Loyalty”, is a gift to America. His holding Trump and the voters who put him in the White House accountable for damaging our democracy shows great courage. We need more patriots like him to put our country’s survival as a decent society first.
1
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.”
Messers Davis & Martin, Comey served the nation well. His was not a CULTIVATED IMAGE but LIVING UP TO TO THE DEMANDS OF THE OFFICE.
His is now in the next role of his life. And he is doing a sterling job.
2
It is Mr. Comey's story to tell and he should not be criticized for the way he chooses to tell it. I am very glad that he stated in the interview that he thought Trump was not mentally ill and of above average intelligence. I reserve my anger for those, including many professional people in the mental health field, who feel the need to diagnose from afar. They are every bit as unethical as Trump. Since I have not yet read the book, I reserve the right to comment further when I have read and digested Mr. Comey's own written words.
1
James Comey's attacks on Trump will not hurt his reputation.
Unless we neglect to realize that Comey is talking to and about Trump as if he's talking to and about a Mafia Don.
I trust James Comey, with his decades of experience doing so, to know when he's talking to and about a Mafia Don.
1
Maybe he is cashing in but that doesn't mean that any of his observations/recollections of the facts are wrong or untruthful. In a world gone mad where a self-confessed serial sexual predator and liar (who might also have colluded with a hostile foreign gov to thwart our democracy) is elected to the highest office and is now seemingly trying to dismantle anything good about the government by again and again putting the Foxes in charge of every single Hen House we collectively own, maybe cashing in and providing as much 'bug out' money to one's family as possible is the ONLY rationale response.
3
At some point, one needs to get one's hands dirty and fight for something. Good for him.
4
...just to clarify Matthew A Miller who is quoted and referenced as being "a top Justice Department official" was in fact a Justice Department spokesman...in my mind not the same credibility.
The key word here is "cultivated." It's not true, it's cultivated
I think Comey's portrayal of Trump was hardly unfair. He seemed to clearly delineate between facts and opinion. As someone who was unfairly terminated and then castigated by Trump, Comey has the right to deliver a little "honest loyalty" back to the snake-in-chief.
2
Trump liked Comey until the truth started to make him look bad.
1
I completely disagree with the tone of this opinion piece and with the supercilious quotes within it. Jim Comey has been denigrated personally by Trump, as has Comey's beloved FBI. Count me as one who thoroughly agrees with the statements in his book and the aggressive tone of his criticism of the malignant fool who now besmirches an office in which FDR, Truman, Kennedy, Reagan, and many other honorable men have sat. Right on, Mr. Comey, and please keep it up. Show them that not all Republicans are spineless.
3
What will be Comey's place in history? It is likely that future historians will conclude that his October 1916 remarks gave the presidency to Donald Trump. Now he seems to be attempting to correct or atone for his mistake in an effort to recover his reputation. Comey and his adversary are the two biggest scoundrels of our time.
1
Comey is literally bigger than most people at 6'8" and his image as a lawman of probity is diminished somewhat by petty comments about Trump's looks that are picked up gleefully by media. But then, Trump does himself no favors in looking and acting like a buffoon. Still, Comey has a legitimate story to tell and should have stuck to the facts. Comments about personal appearance and morality (not to mention political in calling for Trump to be voted out of office) dilute the real story. It is too bad Comey succumbed to the allure of monetizing his self-righteousness and hubris.
Who is this Miller guy the article keeps quoting? And what do we care what he thinks??? We can form our own opinions, Thank You Very Much!!! It would do well for the writers of the article to have done a little more homework rather than resort to quoting snarky comments by unknown actors who make bizarre judgments of a black-and-white nature rather than allowing for subtleties. Please recall the ENORMOUS NEED we have as a nation at this time to have someone who is brave enough to stand up to the Republican Cabal and Donald Trump. James Comey is no longer a law enforcement officer nor does he work for the FBI. He can express his opinion now. The country needs people of courage who will stand up for TRUTH once again. Thank You Mr. James Comey!
4
Do all the commenters who are upset about Mr.Comey’s book royalties realize that Sean Hannity draws a (quite large) salary from Fox News? Do you think he (or any if his cohorts) are just in it for the money?
2
Comey is doing his duty as a citizen, something the spineless, complicit Republicans in Congress are not.
2
Mr Comey would do well to avoid using cheap shots to criticise the president. I am by no means a fan of the president. He is wholly unfit for office and probably, sadly, a seriously mentally ill man. However in making personal attacks Comey is giving the president’s childish behaviour far too much power. This is a time when the country is in desperate need of dignity and leadership in the public sphere. We certainly are not getting it from the president. By engaging in this fight Comey is squandering am opportunity to restore the good will of anyone who was willing to look past the conniving manoeuvre of announcing the Clinton investigation being re-opened. He is now covered with slime just like the president and he is adding to the feeling that America has entered an era when decency and humanity are dead and we the American people are caught in the very public and messy divorce of the president vs. our public institutions. Mr Comey, please do not continue the race to the bottom of the gutter. Remember the words of the former First Lady, Michele Obama? “When they go low we go high” we desperately need to hold on to that message right now. The country is watching, young people are watching, there are no leaders to be found.
1
If I were to think of a single adjective to describe former FBI Director James Comey dating back to 2016, I would choose "unhelpful." If I were to think of an adverb to modify the adjective, I would select "spectacularly."
I think I am being overly generous here. In his sanctimony, the man is almost as carelessly egotistical as the figure he helped make president and whom he now vilifies with such apparently gleeful abandon.
1
Maybe, just maybe, Comey cares more about his country than his “carefully cultivated image.” I hope we don’t have to judge all Americans by the Trump yardstick.
1
What Comey is doing regarding his interviews might be considered a little beneath his past job, but lets get real; nothing has been what America would call normal since January 20,2017. Trump alone has set the bars so low by his un-presidential behavior, while his own party for the most part remains silent. America is Great, and its not because of trump.
1
Comey does great damage to the FBI and our country all in the name of making money off of his book.
Trump is the duly elected President, having won the popular vote in 30 states and decisively winning the electoral college. From day one, Comey's politics got in the way of doing his job in this investigation.
He should have immediately resigned as soon as Trump won the election. Instead, we have a massive coverup of crimes committed by Comey, Mccabe, and others. It's clear that Comey stayed on simply to keep that "insurance policy" in their pockets. All of the illegal surveillance and Soviet style tactics that occurred never would have come to light if Hillary Clinton had won the election. Comey and associates were banking on this!!
2
I don't see Comey's attack on Trump as partisan. As the Times has demonstrated many times, many professional politicians from the Republican party abhor the Trump takeover. Why do we think so many Republicans are leaving office? You can dislike an individual politician, and think him unprincipled without being a turncoat.
It has helped his image among people that think thet Trump is morally unfit to be president.
It has make his image worse with those feel that Trump with all his warts, sins and pecadillios is necessary to save America.
On average therefor about a 10% improvement.
There is no middle ground in American politics.
Attack is a pejorative word that implies exaggerating or lying in your depiction of someone else to make your point. Comey is simply telling the facts about Trump, which are obvious to everyone even his supporters.
1
Comey is in an unenviable position. In helping elect one of the worst tyrants in American history, with most of the world now on edge because of it, he has to use his vast talents to try and bring down the monster he helped. I wish him total success in any way he achieves it.
1
Why are we picking apart Comey, as if his minor human flaws can even be compared to The magnitude of Trump's? Coney is a hero, one of the few who stuck his neck out there to speak truth to power. It's as if we have become so used to sleaze, that someone whose whole life has been in the service of truth, facts and protecting our sacred laws that keep us from being Russia, is now on trial.
2
The authors of this article are correct. Also, consider that Comey is likely to be a witness in whatever charges the DOJ may file against Trump and/or any of the other players that surface in the investigation.
Anything he says in the book or on his ego-tour could influence/complicate the potential charges being considered/evaluated by the investigators who are actually doing the work in the Mueller investigation.
For Comey to talk in detail to the media now, to write a book and do a book tour is not what a disciplined and principled law enforcement officer would do. It’s what a self-centered, self-righteous, arrogant partisan would do. He’s setting a bad example for all of law enforcement.
The Mueller investigators have/will get his testimony in private and in court. I imagine at this point they’d prefer he shut-up.
With the book, he’s mostly trying to burnish his tarnished reputation and audition for a future role as a Television news network “contributor”.
I have confidence the FBI will find the truth. I am patient enough to wait for the conclusion.
2
Everyone's post should mirror yours
1
I just listened to Comey's interview with Terry Gross. He's articulate and reflective in his speech and reasoning. He speaks like a professional who's accustomed to explaining the rationale for his actions. There is no comparison to the childish impulsiveness of Donald Trump. People who want to see vindictiveness will, but it's refreshing to hear someone as well-spoken as he is make the case for why Trump's behavior is a danger to our national discourse and institutional norms. I hope others will follow his example and start speaking up as well.
1
Did Mr. Comey feel so wounded by Trump's scurrilous attacks that he felt it necessary to stoop to the level of exchanging twitter insults with him, still, alas, leaving open to question the reasons for the vehemence of his continuing remarks? I am saddened, Mr. Comey, and hope you will cease and desist while your honor and reputation are intact. Now!
1
Mr. Comey would not be in the public eye and would probably never have written this book if not for the bad behavior of politicians, including Mr. Trump. If a politician doesn't want to be criticized for being unethical etc. then the politician should behave in an appropriate and defensible manner.
1
i think that it was ok for Comey to take the gloves off and punch back as he has been punched by DJT. To be on the ugly receiving end of an unfiltered President's Twitter megaphone is not normal and Comey should not be expected or required to play nice in return. Or turn the other cheek. Funny, that folks think it was wrong or somehow beneath Comey to comment on the president's physical appearance. Is that because the comments are directed at a man and not a woman? If the president were a woman, my guess is that it would have been fair game to do so. After all, didn't everyone comment on Hillary Clinton's clothes?
1
I'm sorry but to be fair, he did say he couldn't believe these things are coming out if his mouth. At this point the Facts are being compromised so he feels he needs to speak out. After all the things Trump has said, Comey can say what he wants!
2
At this point Jim Comey cares as much about a carefully cultivated image as does Donald Trump. He is spreading the word and I hope he tells it all.
1
The observations on the threat to Mr Comey's credibility posed by the style of his attacks on Trump are certainly persuasive, but they also raise a smile.
The same comments might be made about the conduct of the media since Trump's election, as they have climbed right down into the mud pit with him. Their readership needs objectivity and professionalism; what they have often received is intemperate advocacy.
1
James Comey is human and is entitled to share his impressions and be truthful about what he was thinking at the time of his interactions with the president. It happens when talking to someone, we make mental notes of all that is going on, someone body language, appearance etc, and it would be disingenuous to say that we don't, and certainly doesn't diminish any ones impressions or critique.
3
I do not understand the outcry in the media about Comey's description of Trump. He is promoting his book and he described his observations. Had it not been for Trump's abhorrent comments about people, nobody would have judged Comey's observations as mean but rather as simply observations. Every book, be it factual or fiction, has a description of people (or characters) in terms of their physical features. Comey simply stated what he thought at the moment he saw Trump and there was nothing surprising in his description, we all see it. His book is a piece of history given that some of his actions could have swayed the presidential elections so one needs to keep in mind that in the future, those who will read the book will not have the image of Trump in front of them on a daily basis. Although I was disappointed that my candidate lost likely because of the decision Comey made just days before the elections, it was educational to hear his explanation of why he made that decision. We need more people dedicated to protecting core values of our institutions. Comey is an honorable man.
4
I think it’s so interesting and telling that people are referring to Mr Comey taking “pot shots”: this is a man who worked for the FBI for his career! He is an investigator, of course he notices the details. Orange skin, long tie etc. It would be worthy of comment if he Didn’t Notice! He is extremely careful in his speech (whether there is an attempt at obstruction, for example), in the vein of whether you can get a conviction on charges, again, his careerist mentality creeping in, much to the chagrin of many, who find it frustrating.
I, myself, believe Mr Comey and his account, I believe, and have since the beginning, that Trump is totally unsuited to the Presidency in class, temperament and above all knowledge. I value the career people of the FBI, especially in these days of fake news and our administration not supporting our service professionals.
3
Trump started it! Seriously, the new rules are in effect. We're grownups. We can take it. I don't agree with everything Comey says (or Trump of course), but I respect his First Amendment rights to say what he likes as long as his book was okayed by the FBI and doesn't disclose any classified information.
2
In a very civil and honest discourse he is verifying what we all suspect, confusion and delusion in the White House.
2
His “orange” skin, his too-long ties, his hands - it adds texture to the writing. It cannot be compared to Trumpian insults, which are merely insults for the sake of insulting, lies, cruelty and attempts to bully and humiliate being their hallmark, not pointed factual descriptions. Read any book about a personality (true, usually written decades after they have gone) and you see the same attention to personal details. My hunch is this book is written for posterity, as much as it is written for now, when current memes will have faded. It's about his experiences under three Presidents, not just the current tenant of the Oval Office. People will react differently to the subject of this book in years to come - the current hype will not inform it, with distance and time the darker message will coalesce. Maybe it will be too late – I hope not.
1
From the beginning I felt like Comey's book was a bit of a vendetta. It did diminish him in my eyes.
1
Whatever negative press that hack gets will never amount to that which he deserves. He certainly is not the arbiter of morality. To think, a year post-firing he still defends his woefully ill-advised insertion into the presidential contest as...necessary. All the praise and good will he has been extended for his impressive service amounts to nothing when compared to the man he’ll forever be attached at the hip to - and he deserves it.
What's a man to do when it's between his image or his character. I'm sure Comey chooses the latter; Tump the former.
1
If Comey had lived in the middle ages he would have been one of the most fervent members of the inquisition or as they were known then- 'the witch prickers.' These self righteous sanctimonious men would gladly burn women alive in order to 'save their souls.' And then justify their behavior by stating they were doing the will of god and ridding the world of unrighteousness. Overzealousness in the command of a higher authority- the ultimate collusion.
Shame on the NYT for casting aspersions on James Comey's sober, candid retelling of his own experiences. He is not besmirching his reputation but calling all of us - right, left, and center - to take an honest look at at what this country has come to under Trump. To compare Comey's first hand account to the lies, character assassination and mudslinging that Trump daily revels in is false equivalence and true fake news.
Just as the #MeToo women have a right to tell their stories, so does Comey. He is elevating the conversation, not dragging it into the gutter.
I would have expected to see this kind of "analysis" in right wing media, not the Times.
And why wasn't this labeled as "opinion"? I think the NYT owes its readers an explanation and apology.
3
Citizen James Comey: anyone this reviled by both sides of the aisle, and not yet in jail, must have done something right.
So tired of people focusing on Comey's few descriptive words of his impression of Trump's appearance, and hearing them say it undermines his position and he should stay above the fray. His comments about Trump's appearance amount to next to nothing compared to all the vile and idiotic things coming out of Trump's mouth on a daily basis about almost everything. Democrats played nice during the last election and look where it got them. Long past time to fight fire with fire. Or, as they say, you're not going to win if you bring a knife to a gun fight.
What is so poisonous in the Republican party?
Comey, Mueller well known Republican voters ( they are not party people).
And yet
GOP is all out to stain this two FBI chief for saving president ( a guy who cheats his wife with pornstars).
There is no grace in Trumps house. Zilch.
1
Unless he has something real on Trump, James B. Comey is history, cultivated or not. He's a tattletale on personal revenge not a whistle blower.
To the dustbin with all the others, friends or foes!
2
Comey has a bully pulpit right now and he should use it to call out our morally and ethically challenged president. I give him a thumbs up.
4
Trump is disgusting, but Comey's book tour is disgraceful. By crawling down into the gutter to discuss such juvenile things as hands, skin tone and hairdos he has sacrificed the moral high ground that would have lent credence to his argument that Trump lacks the moral character and ethical standards to be President. For a man who was a Federal prosecutor and rose to become the head of the FBI he seems to be shockingly naïve and easily manipulated by his handlers - the editors and ghost writers who are dangling $$$$ royalties in front of him. Visions of sugar plums dancing in his head have compromised his moral compass.
1
This is a cowardly article, unworthy of this great newspaper. When one man is a liar and the other is telling the truth about the liar, it is dishonest and irresponsible to pretend you are a neutral arbiter between two narratives that are equally valid.
To quote a common admonition at my Catholic primary school: “Tell the truth, shame the devil”!
4
"James Comey’s Attacks on Trump May Hurt a Carefully Cultivated Image " YOU THINK ??????
1
He’s not telling us anything that we didn’t already know @ this administration and trump. I feel like Comey was in the back seat with Thelma and Louise up front and America trapped in the trunk. And now he’ll give annoying, lordy, lordy 24/7 interviews and make all the media appearances only AFTER he told Louise to ignore the barricades. He should have kept his mouth shut—then and now. He should be too professionally embarrassed to speak, ever. Instead, we’re all plummeting because of him and we haven’t even hit bottom yet.
1
James Comey has every right to speak and tell his truth! Considering what a conman and liar Donald is, Comey IS eloquent, honest!
What is up with the congressional Republicans, that they cannot see what 67% of us see? Donald is corrupt.
8
He is forgiven for any and all trangressions against the President, in my book.
Go Comey
7
The Sage of Baltimore, H.L. Mencken, is credited with the comment that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public. The current President, a man well known before he even ran for office for his underhanded business dealings, philandering, shady business ventures, and over-inflated sense of himself as a businessman and human being, took Mencken's adage and stretched it to its very limits. He mocked a war hero (John McCain) despite having himself evaded service under dubious circumstances, he mocked a sitting U.S. Senator with a vile racial epithet, he claimed that our neighbors to the south were sending rapists and drug dealers, mocked a respected reporter for having a physical disability, was recorded bragging that he could sexually assault women and get away with it, and, throughout his campaign, flaunted openly the fact that he was a moron without so much as a nodding acquaintance with the truth.
His opponents took the high road and were mocked for their decency with a series of denigrating nicknames, bullying, and slanders. His opponents attempted to discuss the facts, while he deployed an arsenal of lies, racist and misogynist comments, and dog whistles.
And his audience loved it. Trump appealed to everything that is base in man's nature. promised the moon, and despite years of documented chicanery, Americans lapped it up.
This is our doing, not James Comey's. To chastise him for a few comments is hypocrisy.
7
Odd, perhaps, and under "any" other presidency, I would say it would undermine his credibility, but I saw him on ABC....he makes good points, and our current President is patently unstable, acts without any counsel (bombing Syria), scares the world and all Americans with nuclear threats (Rocket Man), and fires everyone he hires, or they are all indicted. We all know Trump has ties to the underworld, the NYT Editorial Board just wrote a column on Trump calling him a thug who has spent a life with scary underworld types.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck....come on, Comey is just leveling with America that we have a clear and present danger in the White House. I call Comey a Patriot. He's concerned for America! Don't paint him as a grandstander out to buck for his book! Listen to what he had to say...these are scary times. If you're not scared, you're watching Fox news.
6
So what. He is saying what needs to be said. I am grateful for his willingness to do so.
8
This such a classic self-flagellating, self-defeating NYT article, especially following on Frank Bruni's piece yesterday in a similar tone. If the so-called left/liberal/democratic cohort in this country can be accused of one outstanding trait that will work against them in the coming elections (& worked against them in past ones), it is that they worry about "manners" & appearance more than meaning or context. Comey is being shrewd in showing that his natural path is the high road but he can also be a street fighter if necessary. Would that HRC & all those polite republican primary presidential candidates last year had used the same strategy. Maybe we wouldn't be going through this hellish period we're now having to endure.
5
the book is titled "A Memoir" and that's what it is, James Comey's thoughts on a troubling couple of years. He's not "taking potshots", he's commenting on the media's headlines "small hands" "orange skin" trying to put those descriptions into context from his own perspective. He said trump's hands were small, compared to his own, but not unusually so. He reads the headlines and made an observation when he met trump. "cultivated"? by who? the media? I guess we've come to a point where the media attacks everyone, just to be fair and unbiased.
4
The criticism of Comey is unfounded. In interviews given to date, he appears calm and reasoned. Brief descriptions of the primary actors in this drama enhance the narrative, not detract. He has one overriding message: Trump is unfit. Who would not disagree with that assessment? Comey is simply saying to all Americans: This is not normal. This is dangerous. Vote your conscience and principles in November.
5
What most hurts Comey's image is his juvenile uptalk. He should speak with authority, not with statements that sound like questions.
Comey couldn’t have hurt this Country more if he had been part of trump’s campaign. See: 11 days before the election. Unforgivable IMHO.
Unusual? All of this is unusual. Comey may be trying to make a quick buck, but his unprecedented rhetoric is a welcome sign that our institutions are far more sane than the man who sits in the Oval Office.
9
Now that Davis, Martin and others have dipped a toe or maybe even taken a bath in some kind cleansing outrage spurred by Comey's plain-spoken words and his urging that we reject the current president, let's step back from what seems to be a short trip to moral equivalence. Mr. Comey hasn't said anything about the president that we haven't already noticed. Rather, he has validated from close up what has been painfully obvious to anyone who wanted to observe it from a distance.
Listen, there are plenty of Republicans (Comey's one of them), quivering in their boots, afraid to say publicly what they all know: the emperor has no clothes. Maybe Comey can light their way.
It seems to me that the only criticism of Comey concerns what's been labeled his "pettiness," and his taking sides against the sketchiest president we've had in my lifetime. I say let Comey have his day in the sun. And let's join him in the fresh air. Let's value plain-spoken honesty.
8
Fading quietly into obscurity; how would that help Comey's image?
2
Comey is an honorable and decent man. (To this there is no real dispute.)
Our country is lucky to have him.
That he would put his reputation on the line for his country speaks volumes.
An old fashioned hero.
10
Just finished listening to James Comey being interviewed on Fresh Air with Terry Gross. I continue to be impressed by his ethics and his total dedication to his job. He's eloquent, straight forward and without guile. The kind of individual who should run for higher office.
9
Kudos to James Comey for pointing a mirror at a society that has lost its moral compass. Comey has been described as "sanctimonious". I think we could use a little more of that, and less corruption.
6
Trump should worry about his image. As a theatre director and choreographer, I have been concerned about mr Trumps weight gain and hamburgers-in bed diet. Photos show a white-hippo body with bared teeth. This may be an image that appeals to his base, but won’t do anything good for his health Or respectability in the world.
Mr. Comey appears slender with the look of a runner, although I don’t know anything about his private life. If image is important in this contest. Comey has won it already: elegant, slim, relaxed. Appearance is important. It’s easy to believe he faced down a home invasion, he looks strong.
3
James Comey did virtually no harm in the impossible situation of telling the truth, not as he morally perceived it but, as it is and was.
Well done with full points for having a credeo that is admirable.
5
Comey's actions, since the 2016 Clinton email "inquiry" or "investigation," fiasco have been skewed by hubris. He had no business excoriating Hillary, once the FBI had concluded not to recommend charges on the email matter. He had no business publicly reopening the matter shortly before the election. As I recall he has allowed that he may have felt Hillary was going to win the election no matter what, when he made his last-minute announcement. This can easily be seen as betraying a bias. In his book, he gratuitously belittles the President's personal characteristics (hair, hands).
Comey should have followed Obama's lead, remaining silent and preserving his dignity. This is what would have best served the country at this moment in our history.
3
I find it strange that every account from news media about Comey's "pot shots" at Trump assert that they are insults, and have used the "hand size" statement as the example. He said, "His hand was visibly smaller than my own, but not unusually so." That (truthful) statement is NOT insulting - it debunks the popular insult. It asserted to me when I heard him say it the "so, Twitler's little hands aren't so small, after all...". What is notable about Comey so far, is that he has credibility. He's just telling the truth, both about what he witnessed and about what he thinks. He's not picking and choosing what to tell the truth about.
5
Neither Comey's past errors nor his personal pique should be allowed to drown out the cogency and urgency of his dire warning.
5
If Comey's statements seem out of context for someone that appears petty and high-minded, think about the subject matter and how that person sounds all the time.
Comey is 100% correct in using the terms he uses to describe the President.
5
But he's not the Director of the FBI anymore! He's writing and speaking as a private citizen - one who was there, and who can speak with knowledge and authority. That's good enough for me.
4
Comey has admirable qualities, but he's a mixed signal guy. Like with his Clinton email speech, he’s now adding to our national confused muddle---each side will use him to buttress its views.
Comey, the FBI Director, was humiliated at being fired and finding out on TV in public. He thought it was a prank---he had missed the hand delivered letter. He’s mad, and his book tour and TV interviews will dominate the news. Fox News is now insulting Comey non stop with a string of guests.
But the anti Trumps shouldn’t help normalize gross name calling, personal venting of spleen, or exaggeration of what’s already too exaggerated. Let Trump be shown as a gross contrast with more ethical, non egotist, responsible officials.
Before we can make American great again, we have to keep its political discourse decent again. We need positive role models to start an upward political spiral.
If we build, instead of tearing down or normalizing political brutality, then we'll avoid another Trump for our grandkids.
The revered Comey is now a character in our political Reality TV Series. Trump & Fox GOP media will up the level of spite/insult.
What’s the ultimate Trump damage if he transforms our politics beyond decency and judgment?
Future greedy, domineering Trump type egotists are waiting in the wings. They’ll get financing.
1
For the U.S. to operate as the superpower and to maintain a world order based upon peace and respect for the rights of nations and individuals to be left free to live peacefully with all other nations and to enable trade and commerce to dominate the interactions between peoples, it's government must operate in a manner which keeps some things confidential but remains accountable to the citizens of the United States. As a leader of an important agency which must operate free of political influences, the F.B.I. Director cannot be making public his feelings and judgments about the President nor any other responsible officials in office. It would be detrimental to the respect needed for the F.B.I. to complete it's responsibilities. However, the public does have the right to know about the very things which do affect how things are done.
Some times in this country we harbor attitudes towards the President that fail to appreciate that the President is an elected official with limited authority, not the sovereign head of state. The confidentiality of the actions and behaviors of President and of their subordinates is not like those between and monarch and his ministers, the people have every right to know all about them. The only exception would be when it compromises the security of the business of the nation. At this point in time, Comey's opinions about Trump are not indiscretions but revelations about a President whose behavior has been and remains incomprehensible.
The very bottom line is that Comey speaks the truth and Tump is a serial liar.
4
Someone has to stand up to this ignorant, idiot bully.
4
If Comey was indeed a “slimeball”, and supported Potus, the President’s supporters would throw him a parade and have nothing but praise for him, just like they support actual slimeballs such as Pruitt.
1
I dont remember straight Jim C on the talk show circuit during his prosecution of major crime figures or when he stood up to Bush pro surveillance neo-cons at Ashcroft’s sickbed. All of a sudden Big Jim is self aggrandizing and an image seeker? That dog dont hunt. Whereas The Donald and Cohn wouldn’t even be able to pass the vetting to get into the FBI or any Big City PD. And thats not even considering D’s entourage of “fixers” following around these fat rich White Guys thinking with their Little Heads.
2
Your analysis made people laugh. So Comey criticized, attacked Donald Trump for immorality, moral unfit to be president, criminal like Mafia, Hookers trash etc... all are true, facts, and your conclusion is he hurt himself?? Come on, be not a terrible liar like Donald Trump for a second, will you?
4
So what?
2
A lot of people are mad at Comey, esp the Clinton partisans who think she might have won except for his speech about the email investigation.
By using personal insults to Trump, he's using Trump's weapons----the last thing we need in our politics now. This just ups the spite factor, back and forth. Our TV news will stay fixated on hostility, and ignore crucial issues we need explored for the American public.
We need Trump critics who are positive models, showing a better ways of attacking Trump on policy grounds.
Comey will speak at the NYC Barnes & Noble on Wed. If the audience is allowed to ask questions, there should be fireworks from plenty Comey critics and from his defenders.
3
If Mr. Comey was the real patriot he pretends to be and thinks all that he has to say in his book is so vital in protecting the integrity of the country he says he loves so much, why is he charging people for them to read it? Any royalties should go to the country and the office that gave him the opportunity and time to acquire supposedly what he learned that enabled him to write a book. He owes us far more than we owe him anything. Just another opportunist gold-digger as far as I'm concerned.
3
I forgive him his miscalculations on Hillary and laud him for standing up to trump and for calling trump by his true names. I bought Comey's book just to express my support. I don't care if he makes millions on it, I just appreciate his statements and his standing up to injustice.
5
I’m interested in TRUTH and JUSTICE. As long as these things get out there, I’m not worried about James Comey making personal observations of Potus. I mean really, who hasn’t? One can choose silence and be polite, or simply state the obvious. Potus certainly hasn’t any qualms making personal attacks.
In fact, one of the Dems biggest deficits is being overly polite. Attacking seems to resonate with certain voters, so why not just say it, as long as it’s true?
5
It's relatively standard for former senior government officials to seek lucrative opportunities by launching a book tour. Unlikely to affect the needle on the questions before the American voter in 2018.
My disappointment with Comey is not that he's joined in on "the country's partisan battles." It's that he, with his book and tour, is cashing in on the information he gained as a public servant. The reason for the book and tour is self enrichment. That's the shame.
2
Come is currently on a book tour to "fill the ol' coffers" as #43 so inelegantly but truthfully put it. In fact, I'd say that is what he was doing when he made his ill-advised comments to Congress concerning his non-recommendation of indictment in the summer of 2016 and his unprecedented announcement of the reopening of the investigation days before the election. If selling his future book wasn't his purpose then we have a whole 'other set of problems.
4
In his book Comey is finally showing his humanity and vulnerability like the the rest of us capable of anger and personal judgment. Comey is after all a man of integrity, honesty and well trained lawyer. Let's endorse him for Presidency. He will be a great president. Comey and Andrew McCabe will be a great team.
2
Comey's comments on Trump's physical attributes was not very smart, but it is such a minor part of the book; he also describes other people's physical attributes in the book, not just Trump's.
I think the media (including the NYT) emphasizes this part too much so it seems like it is all he writes about.
3
Comey's bungling of the first Clinton email press conference is a big reason why we have the current administration and that alone should have tarnished his image a long time ago. The only reason Comey has a pure image up to now is because the media only likes to talk about things like hand size, skin color, and other trivial things that he has previously avoided.
He may be doing the right thing when it comes to Trump, but I will always remember his role in the 2016 election.
1
Three thoughts: First, the press certainly is culpable in large part for the rise of Donald Trump. The narrative the media provides always seems to assume that there are at least 'two sides' to events. Truth has been thrown onto the trash heap in the rush to be the first to report every piece of political spin. There are not 'two sides' to truth - only a continuum of explanations for lies. Second, the authors of this piece provide some acknowledgement that the Trump GOP apparatus geared up to attack Comey. Somehow, though, they still seem to give credence by giving attention to the manufactured GOP lies and spin. Third, what part of Comey's reputation really matters at this point? Neither major party feels warm and fuzzy about him...and never will. The criticisms of Comey's descriptions of Trump's personal attributes are given in the context of his earliest 'impressions'. Why does this matter when Trump blatantly strips the dignity from everyone who disagrees with him?
3
For the U.S. to operate as the superpower and to maintain a world order based upon peace and respect for the rights of nations and individuals to be left free to live peacefully with all other nations and to enable trade and commerce to dominate the interactions between peoples, it's government must operate in a manner which keeps some things confidential but remains accountable to the citizens of the United States. As a leader of an important agency which must operate free of political influences, the F.B.I. Director cannot be making public his feelings and judgments about the President nor any other responsible officials in office. It would be detrimental to the respect needed for the F.B.I. to complete it's responsibilities. However, the public does have the right to know about the very things which do affect how things are done.
Some times in this country we harbor attitudes towards the President that fail to appreciate that the President is an elected official with limited authority, not the sovereign head of state. The confidentiality of the actions and behaviors of President and of their subordinates is not like those between and monarch and his ministers, the people have every right to know all about them. The only exception would be when it compromises the security of the business of the nation. At this point in time, Comey's opinions about Trump are not indiscretions but revelations about a President whose behavior has been and remains incomprehensible.
1
Watched the interviews and believe that Mr Comey spoke eloquently about his time in the FBI and his dealings with Trump with complete honesty. Mr Comey spoke about his own faults and what his thinking was during that time, which I admire greatly.
At no time did I interpret his language or manner as an attack on Trump; merely a man trying to come to terms with all that occurred. He was straight-from-the-hip honest in expressing his opinions on the fitness of Trump from the perspective of years of service to our government. Experience counts.
19
If that's ok for Trump to malign people by telling outright lies about them - then why is it not ok for Comey to tell the truth about Trump?
38
Hurting the cultivated image bit is irrelevant. That ship has already sailed. Comey's trying to sell a book. He's NOT the FBI director anymore. He seems to be the only one who knows that.
10
I think Mr Comey is quite sure who he is -
Unlike the delusional Trump
Independent of Trump, Comey is a disgrace. His only desire in public speaking is to garner support for behavior that justified his being fired, and to sell his book. There is no objectivity on this comments section, but most believed Comey was wrong on multiple occasions. Hatred for Trump does not justify this man's behavior, and does not garner my support. He WAS a tragic figure, no more.
5
Maybe you can't handle the truth.
James Comey is providing a valuable compensatory ethical idealism, I feel. America needs more leaders like James Comey.
20
Three cheers for James Comey, who is doing something we should all be doing – calling out Trump for his gross shortcomings. Corruption, vindictiveness, authoritarianism, inability and unwillingness to govern, and attack on American institutions need to be taken down, without say, the humor of media pundits. I’m glad Comey has taken direct aim at Trump. He is one Republican who is doing it, and he should be an example to the others.
I voted for Clinton. The actions Comey took before the election will always be up for dispute, and it is easy to criticize them if you are not the one who had to make the hard decision. Whatever the case, I fully support him and am grateful not only for his service to this country, but his continual willingness to go head-to-head with Trump and the corrupted GOP to preserve democracy.
So thank you, Mr. Comey --- not just for me, but for the young people in my family. Their future depends on people like you.
14
Freedom of speech is the right every citizen in this country is entitle too ... including Mr. Comey. And one doesn't have to have an IQ above average and PhD in psychology to figure out that the current 45th President of the United States is unfit on moral ground. And the fact that his picture will be hanging on the same wall as President's Washington or both Roosevelts makes me sick to my stomach. Trump's career as a politician should have ended the moment he mocked handicapped journalist. For American's to vote for him regardless of his lack of any virtues or principles is a tragedy we may never recover from. It puts us as the citizens in a very, very bad light on the Forum Romanum ...
8
I just listened to his interview with Terry Gross, and I still don't understand his explanations about the announcement where he revealed the FBI was reopening the Clinton email investigation one week before the election. Had Comey come out and announced the information matter of factly, and walked away from the podium, that would be one thing. But going on this lengthy statement, disparaging Clinton and her behavior for what seemed like forever, Comey destroyed any pretense of fairness or the need to "not impact the election."
11
Comey was a leaker. Worse, he gave information to somebody outside of government who was not authorized to see the information to have that person release the information.. How low is that?
5
Comey's not perfect but he's spent his career protecting this country. Angry Clinton supporters blaming Comey for her loss are misapportioning blame. HRC was advised not to use a private server, it's use was against official State Department policy & when reporters asked candidate Clinton about it she responded "Nobody cares about it but you" & asked if she had wiped content off the server she feebly joked "You mean with a cloth?" HRC violated State Department policy, risked her official correspondence being intercepted by bad actors & refused to take her mistake seriously when questioned by journalists throughout the campaign. Eventually the F.B.I. decided to investigate this security lapse she'd made freely. Those blaming Comey are ignoring the fact that if Clinton had used only her official State Department server like she was supposed to, the F.B.I. would not have investigated her & there would have been no Comey pronouncements. It's amazing HRC & her supporters keep blaming someone else for a stupid mistake she made which led to the investigation. Clinton is an adult & should be held responsible for her bad decisions. This business with the server contributed to her loss - it made her vulnerable to criticism & bad coverage. So did her choices about scooping up million$ for Wall St speeches & deciding not to campaign in Wisconsin. I voted for her but her continuing refusal to take responsibility for her loss is extremely tiresome.
7
The Comey haters are watching their whole political world unravel and his book tour must just be killing them...maybe Bill O'Reilly can write a new book, "Killing Comey" to comfort them all...or perhaps Sean Hannity can have his lawyer, Michael Cohen, on his show to explain the finer elements of criminal law that Comey has managed to dance around....
7
Listen, he's no longer on the job!
Like Trump, who goes below the belt, why can't Comey do the same? Because Trump only seems to understand interaction at his level--gutter level, so one has to stoop low, unfortunately,so why can't Comey?
7
I think Comey sounds ... human. If Trump had wanted Comey to sound professional, he shouldn't have fired him.
8
This article is equivalent of Establishment Democrats pandering to Republicans for votes while punching left at Progressives and Independents. God forbid anyone tell the ugly truth.
4
I think we're talking about image and decorum, not much more.
Director Comey was fired after he was pressured to violate his duty to his office and the rule of law -- and refused. The Trump Silo, which would obtain justice from the back of a bordello, is guided by their television-based faith not to believe Comey, not if he brings the Ten Commandments Down from Zion. I imagine J Comey isn't concerned about this and no citizen with more than 10 brain cells should be either.
6
Trump has broken down all norms. Yes, it's rare for an ex-FBI head to criticize a president. It's also rare for a president's personal lawyer to be raided, his campaign manager and several members of his administration and campaign team to be indicted for various crimes, for a president to refuse to step away from his business holdings after assuming his office, for not releasing tax returns, for lying with every breath, for attacking private citizens, for cozying up to dictators, etc etc etc. Let's not judge Comey for speaking out against what he sees, as a career lawman, as a clear and present danger to the United States, its own ethically and morally challenged incompetent idiot of a president.
9
I'm glad that Mr. Comey, a registered Republican is thinking about his country over his chosen political party. He's neither a gift to the Right or the Left as some comments here seem to think. It's refreshing to see someone who cares about their country and the "people" (us) who run the country, more than the person who holds the office of the president for a few short years.
6
First and foremost, we need a president with a cultivated image. We also need a congress who would condemn the president when he is not such a person.
3
Cultivated? The only thing trump cultivates is anger and revenge. Alas, that appeals to 60,000,000 of our voting citizens. Anyone that can speak truth to that disgusting power, should be cultivated and lauded.
I remind you to your own resentment.
Trump is occupying the WH.
Think that what does that mean for moral values?
Trump Basically is Unfit to serve. Comey the Public Servant wrote a book.
6
NYT is projecting a double standard and holding a private citizen to a high standard than our own president.
6
You mean DJ Trump , who cheats his own pregnant wife with Pornstar, I read correct , our own president!!!!
Why should speaking truth to Trump’s corrupt power and rank character damage Comey? Comey’s truth is being called sanctimonious because we’re so accustomed to Trump’s lies, and the lies his WH spews. Comey is being accused of “descending “ to trump’s level because he is confronting the president. There is no foul language, there are no false accusations. For God’s sakes, Comey is publicly confronting our Thug in Chief. Wake up and drop the prissy attitude. Were Allied leaders called diminished because they called Hitler evil? Agreed that trump is too disorganized to be hitler, but he is a terrible threat to democracy and truth.
4
This article is so full of bitterness and invective . . . Jim Comey had a decision to make. He made it. It was necessary; what if the additional emails contained damning material and that was not disclosed until the election was over?
His announcement the the HRC email investigation, already announced as closed, was to be reopened, was necessary. It did not cost HRC the election. Her smug dismissal of the hoi polloi is what cost her the election.
The NYTimes needs to return to objectivity, and muzzle its disappointed attack dogs.
7
You know what really cost Hillary Clinton the election? That’s an easy one. She was the candidate....
Petty? Indeed! A lot of good his cultivated image did him with the lunatic president and his lunatic fans.
1
Was it a "molehill?"
" ... The Clinton email mountain/molehill debacle ... "
If you were a US spy stationed in, say, Vienna, and you knew that Hillary Clinton's assistant had copied, say, 500,000 of HRC's emails onto a home laptop that was accessible to the assistant's husband, Carlos Danger, who was being investigated by the FBI, would you consider that to be a "molehill?"
3
This is wholly predictable. When a lifelong rule follower is treated in a way they experience as unjust, well, hell hath no fury.
There is this psychological defense mechanism called "sublimation" where those with socially unacceptable impulses unconsciously channel them into constructive, acceptable behaviors. What Trump did to Comey is to take this away from him. Now the underlying rage and aggression is exposed. Watch out!
Comey IS a slime-ball.
And once again, Trump is right.
3
We all know that Trump is the slime ball, the liar, the tax cheat, the sexual assaulter, the money launderer, the thug.
And we desperately need public figures who are willing to call him out for what he is - a lowlife.
2
Woow ,
You are siding with a guy who cheats his pregnant wife with pornstars and then couldn't even cover his own tracks and embarrass us in front of the entire world.
Yeah Trump is right.
1
Perfect last name for you comment - haha
1
To the NYT,
We are all flawed. I'll take Comey's flaws over this idiot on training wheels masquerading as president any day.
10
I do not care about the size of Trump's hands or his physical stature, but his moral stature. Comey should have steered clear of personalities.
There is, however, no easy way to deal with someone so vile and repugnant as Trump.
"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him." Proverbs 26:4.
"Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit." Proverbs 26:5.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
2
Here we have Mr Comey who served our country for years with distinction, until he like so many others, with more to come, was sucked in to the toxic dump called the Republican Congress, and the Cess Pool referred to as the Trump presidency.
Given that Trump has turned everything in this country in to a vulgar, Twitter based, hate driven conversation, how else can Comey defend himself and, yes our Democracy, against a self serving, thug like Trump who will stop at nothing to hide his own criminal, and I don't say this lightly, traitorous behavior?
With no civility left in the Federal government and certainly not in the current White House, I applaud Comey giving the American people a clear eyed look at Trump, the man that this country unfortunately has elected.
Clearly Comey's far from perfect, but for taking a stand against the clear and present danger of Trump, I give him my thanks and respect.
9
The proper response to creation of Lyin' Comer website is to create a Lyin' POTUS Trump website.
For a compulsive lyin' Trump to label anyone else as lyin' is itself a proof of his own lyin'.
Good heaven! Who is lyin'? It is so easy to tell.
2
Can you believe the amazing numbers of morons and fools who spend their time at a website like that in the first place?
1
Comey may be vilified for his handling of the Hilary email investigation. But with the release of his book, it's time to put a magnifying glass on the actions of Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Why did she insist on calling it a "matter" rather than an investigation?
And why oh why did she have that private meeting with Bill Clinton after seeing him on the airport tarmac? When she says that she and Bill did not discuss the "matter" of Hilary's emails, I believe her about as much as I believe Donald Trump. This little stunt was as damaging to Hilary's campaign as anything Comey did.
Lynch's actions do not justify how Comey chose to handle the "matter." But given that his boss was being so blatantly political about it, I can now at least understand Comey's behavior, and I, for one, forgive him.
3
Lynch thought she was on the fast track to a Supreme Court appointment and she sure didn’t want to risk derailing....
Let's see: Trump-- unscrupulous, life-long serial liar and shyster, or Comey-- long-time respected, dedicated and admired public servant. Hmmmm... who to believe?
5
Trump set the tone with his nasty vicious attacks so Comey is playing by his rules and Trump doesn't like it. Trump very publicly trashed Comey's character so hooray for someone turning around and making a few dollars off him. And why shouldn't he when we have a President screaming about having people jailed because he suddenly doesn't like them.
2
Comey is not being low or vicious. Trump treats women like meat. We have a long line of accusers, an Access Hollywood tape, and Michael Cohen to prove it.
Trump is "morally unfit to be President." Only a blind man can't see the truth of that. How is it vicious or low? No curse words, no taunts. Trump operates like a mob boss. That is plain as day. All you have to do is see how many people have left the WH. So where is Comey going low?
My take on Comey's interview w/George Stephanopolous is different from that of the media talking heads. I saw a tragic hero who was merely describing what he saw in Trump (the orange face, white puffy spots beneath his eyes, etc.) Neither the tone nor the description devolved into a pettiness that the same talking heads occasionally use when they talk about Trump. However, I couldn't help thinking, "How can a guy this smart act so stupidly?" He definitely thinks he is THE ONE to tell the truth, and he sincerely believes that if he just gets his story 'out there,' everyone will understand what he did (w/regard to Hiliary Clinton) and everyone will understand. Comey comes across as a genuinely good guy; but he can't seem to break free of his own reference point to understand public perception and how misguided his deviation from FBI policy was and how much it impacted the election. That said, there is only one honest, integrity-driven person in this two-man confrontation, and it is definitely Comey. No one who has been paying attention can say that about Trump.
1
It's not as if the criticism isn't called for. What berate the man for letting it all hang out?
2
In case the NYT hasn't noticed Comey is no longer a lawman working for the FBI. He is now a private citizen who can criticize the president openly.
4
High-minded? The FBI? When was it again that J. Edgar Hoover's tactics defined the agency's image?
2
This article truly highlights what a "Looking glass world" US politics has become. We now demand a much higher standard of behavior from ex-FBI officials than we do of the acting (or acting out, I should say) president of the country! How Comey's worst comments can be described as going "into the gutter" is astounding, especially when compared to the infantile bilge routinely spewed by Trump and his supporters. Further, Comey made one major mistake in judgement re: Clinton's emails, but is trying to undo that, while Trump and cronies continue to get free passes for egregious decisions that affect millions on a daily basis.
5
'...carefully cultivated image..."?
Under what definition?
Before heading the FBI, Comey did get a few things done. But if this is careful cultivation, let’s have more carefully cultivated crime fighters like this running things:
• In the mid-1980’s Comey graduated from U of Chicago law school, and soon after was hired as a prosecutor by Rudy Giuliani within the U.S. Attorney’s office for the southern district of New York, where the highest-profile federal cases are brought. There, Comey prosecuted several big cases, including against the Gambino crime family.
• In 1996, as assistant federal prosecutor in Richmond, Virginia, he cracked down on the city’s rampant gun crime.
• In 2001 he got indictments in the Khobar Towers case where 19 American servicemen were killed by a truck bombing in Saudi Arabia that was early work of Osama bin Laden and al-Q’aida.
• After 2001, as U.S. Attorney for the southern district of New York (promoted to Giuliani’s old job) he successfully prosecuted terrorists as well as Martha Stewart, who lied to the FBI, SEC and investors.
• In 2003, Comey moved up to deputy attorney general, the second ranking law officer in the land, and through long, dedicated hours served honorably and successfully.
• From 2012 to 2017 Comey directed the FBI - until Trump fired him.
Comey has done more for the U.S. than anything Trump has done. Anything.
5
Trump has become a cartoon super villain. I don't see what can be gained from being dignified at this point. It's all or nothing for Comy. Dignity in the face of Trump is useless. Well maybe except Meuller. He needs to remain implacably dignified.
1
What is undignified about telling the truth about Trump?
I am glad that Jim Comey is speaking out against Trump. Why don't more people do that? If they did, perhaps we wouldn't be in the gigantic mess we are in now, a mess we have brought entirely on ourselves. As for Comey's ruining his reputation with Republicans, isn't the FBI director supposed to be above partisanship? And isn't that what Comey has demonstrated all along? Trump is not a "Republican president." He was reluctantly embraced by Republicans when they couldn't come up with anyone else with a chance at winning, and now they pretend he's theirs when it suits them and not theirs when it doesn't. Democrats need to get over Comey's actions on Clinton's emails. He did what he thought was right. Clinton needs to stop blaming Comey for her loss, and take responsibility for it instead. A lot of people need to grow up fast, but I don't think Comey is one of them.
2
Considering the source, the NYT won’t even call the most blatant Trump lies by their true name, but instead use terms of art like “falsely claimed”.
2
H.R.C. often repeated the mantra, "They go low, we go high" meaning we do not stoop to Trump's level of personal calumny of his political opponents. It seems that James Comey could not transcend the politics of personal ridicule, an art form that Trump is the master practitioner.
All that Comey had to verify the content of his conversations with Trump is his personal integrity, an objectivity that would not not allow him to distort events. Yet, his antipathy towards President Trump is so intense that he had to compare him with a mafioso kingpin. Well, such hoods gain power only by violence, not by manipulation of the political system, which to some degree is how democracies work.
His comment on Trump seeming "shorter" and defects in his skin tone, and then his small hands, could be understood if the Trump team had surreptitiously inserted them in the manuscript to negate this book being taken seriously. But that is not what happened, these words were written by Comey, and in spite of the certainty that at least some of his colleagues warned him to remove this tabloid bashing, he chose to let it remain.
Comey has chosen to contest Trump by his rules, a depressing form of surrender to an atavistic mentality that is spreading across the country and the world.
1
Of course Comey's comments have nothing to do with boosting sales of his book. ;-)
History will judge whether or not Donald Trump has been an effective President.
Just a few people remember that Bill Clinton's presidency was dogged by calls for his impeachment over the b job he received in the Oval Office from one of his interns.
So an affair Trump might have had with a porn star 10 years ago will be forgotten.
Did he protect US jobs and commerce?
Did he drag you into unnecessary wars?
Those will be his legacy.
1
Perhaps the former FBI director's behavior is unprecedented because we have never seen such a monstrously unfit, dangerous, seditious and completely untrustworthy president in the White House before. Or perhaps the growing pro-Trump contingent at The New York Times is winning its battle against the American people.
4
Trump is seen by his supporters unpolished but a righteous man.
Comey instead is seen as a villain because of his unpolished way to express facts and opinions about this president.
Frankly I prefer Comey over Trump. At least Comey spent his career nailing wrongdoers... not making friendship with them.
3
Politics is a dirty game. Very dirty.
What is so peculiar and frustrating to me is that we finally have someone with the stature and standing to rip into Trump in the manner he fully deserves--and then people (even Trump's detractors) criticize this whistle-blower for having the courage to do so.
I hate to be the skunk at this little garden party, but folks it is long past the proper time for all of us to be screaming at the top of our lungs about the grotesque injustices emanating from today's besmirched White House. Telling the truth, and calling things exactly as they are, is exactly apropos for our dire situation with this rogue so-called President. Comey's rhetoric has been precise and exacting, and the fact that it is essentially condemning of the President (and what we all knew anyway) is beside the fact. Trump is a singular creature in American history, one of few that deserves all niceties and deference to be dumped in the trash can. I fully believe that critics of James Comey are part of the current problem--they mistakenly believe we are in normal times.
The only criticism I have of Comey's account is his perspective that Trump is of "above normal intelligence." I mean, come on, you don't have to have personal interaction with Trump to see he is a man of low intellectual horsepower and zero impulse control. How Comey reached this preposterous conclusion is beyond me, but perhaps he just wanted to refute the notion that Trump doesn't appreciate the magnitude of his depravities.
4
Whether you're a Hillary or a Trump supporter.... Comey has been a Bozo Show since the get go. How did this clown ever get to be FBI director? He's a complete joke and embarrassment to the Federal Government.
Good riddance to him.
3
I could not disagree more. Comey has a moral compass and our society has sunk so low that we taunt him with charges of sanctimony. Speaking truth to the biggest con man in American history? If only more were brave enough to do so.
Trump deserves criticism. Comey’s comments don’t come close to covering all of the areas of criticism that should be heaped on the most bigoted, racist and mysoginstic president in my lifetime.
2
Comey has made a mess of his career and national affairs starting with his inexcusable announcement concerning Clinton before the election resulting in Trump's presidency and his own firing. Everything Comey touches turns to clay. I will not be buying his memoir of excuses.
While Comey will come and go, some of his actions will have consequences. As he knows.
One of them is unexpected. Married people who both have powerful careers increasingly face a kind of "jeopardy by association."
The "great October email caper" occurred because candidate Clinton's right hand woman, Human Abedin, had been married to Anthony Weiner.
People have problems. Weiner has several. Those emails on his laptop? Reprehensible.
We live in a (real) world where often both men and women have active careers. Often those who rise in power will have partners who rise in power too.
We don't reject partners because they're imperfect, or no one would stay together. Partners have their own career interests. If they overlap, it appears to most observers (and certainly law enforcement) as one.
Hillary and Bill Clinton shared political interests. Abedin and Weiner worked independently, but shared their interest in Clinton's campaign. McCabe had a career distinct from his wife's, but her campaign for office couldn't be separated from it.
We treat attorney-client, doctor-patient, and other professional relationships as inviolable, unless both share criminality. But married couples don't have this protection, even though they share intimate facts under the assumption of complete privacy.
That's odd.
This is what "punching back" looks like (as opposed to obstruction of justice). Trump supporters should appreciate that.
I'm happy for James Comey. He didn't share his opinion because he was a public servant at the time, but this is America, and we have freedom of speech. The president is not morally fit to be president. It's a fact!
"Fair and balanced" has certainly become a laugh line for any but the most clueless in Trump's base.
So, why on earth does the Times do it? Yes, it's clear what their editorial position is - and I applaud that.
But this smacks of their 2016 fiasco - let's report on the contest between Hillary and Bernie, but let's make sure that the "news side" sticks it TO HIM every chance they get.
Obviously, this piece is something of an aberration - it's easy to imagine that the National Review would have snapped it up or commissioned it.
But let's deal with the substance! Who on earth would think that it's "more righteous" to stay mum in the face of what Comey characterizes as moral turpitude ... and with him being one of the very few people in a position to document and detail it?!
The simple answer is Trump dead-enders - i.e., folks who so hate blacks or diversity or gun control or ... that they'll stick with ANY Republican over ANY Democrat or anything that might help Democrats.
And the Times continues its disturbing trend of graying the news vs. editorial distinction. This is a piece that masquerades as news.
BTW, it's equally disturbing to read on the New Yorker website that people who despise the President even more than most ... wonder about the timing of this book release in connection with the far-from-finished Mueller probe.
I get it - what kind of witness would Comey make (now)? - but "speaking truth to (corrupt) power" trumps that i.m.o.
6
How do you treat a bully? You confront him as Senators Warren and Sanders have done. As James Brennan has done and the most unlikely of feminist furies, Stormy Daniels. Trump is a monster and saving our country cannot be done wearing kid gloves. These hand wringers should be asking the NYT why they haven’t written about the moral cowardice of Republican leaders Bush, Gates, Powell and Rice. I should think Comey is morale lifting for all our beleaguered federal employees who have to do their jobs under the most trying of circumstances. Moral values matter!
9
I might agree with the premise of this article if we were dealing with anyone but a pathological lying know-nothing traitor posing as a president. Trump gives no quarter, and therefore deserves none. And the same goes for the despicable GOP...
The Democratic Party has managed to lose control of all three branches of government by taking the high road no matter how many lies, obstructions, fake investigations, voter suppression shenanigans, environmental catastrophes, corporate tax breaks, and Supreme Court ripoffs the GOP has engaged in...
It is way past time to fight fire with fire... The American People deserve public servants who PROTECT and SERVE... Political correctness has gotten us nowhere... Real heroes need to step up and tell it like it is.
5
Interesting. We are critical of Comey's language towards Trump as unworthy of a ex-FBI director and accept Trump's characterization of Comey, "Slime Ball" etc as OK language from a President of the USA. We ask for a higher moral standard from an Ex-FBI director then the President of the USA? Both are in the sleazy mud pit and I for one still feel Comey has the higher IQ and more articulate.
8
Comey is baitng Trump. And Trump is taking the bait hook, line and sinker.
3
Comey's accurate attacks on Trump as the vulgar liar he is, unstable and unfit to govern is the way the Comey that has chosen to express his remorse for having helped grease the despicalbe Trump into the Oval Office . He knows that his unjustified and unprofessional attacks on Hillary played a significant role in the 2016 election at a time when Trump was sinking under the weight of his vulgar sex tapes. Its too little too late.
3
If anyone criticizes this buffoon, I couldn't think off anyone more qualified in doing so than Mr. Comey or Mr. Mueller.
4
That Trump is a pathological liar is an impartial statement of fact. The comments about his tie, his hands, his "orangeness," etc. are telling details from a trained observer.
3
Comey bears most of the responsibility for Trump`s election. Comey used he FBI to advance his Republican ideology. It doesn`t matter what kind of an image he tries to cultivate, Comey will go down in history as the guy who fatally stabbed American Democracy and then made millions telling the story of how he did it. Trump, the ultimate immoral slimeball, is almost never right, but he is right when he calls Comey a slime ball.
1
Saying what needs to be said has greatly enhanced my view of Comey. He has no obligation to keep quiet now that he’s out of any official role and in fact I would argue that he should speak out, as a concerned citizen, about the abuses he witnessed.
5
Compared to Denison 45, Comey is a boy scout. A preening Eagle Scout maybe, but when you put him next to the guy who channels Forrest Gump and Darth Vader, Comey looks pretty good.
3
I believe Comey said Trump's hands were normal. He said Trump was above average in intelligence and not senile. So what's the big deal with what Comey said? Trump is a documented liar. His ties are obviously too big and his skin is without a doubt is orange. These are observable facts that all Americans know. Comey is just saying that he has first hand dealings with the president and that Trump is corrupt. This is not controversial, these are facts. Trump is the problem so let's keep the criticism aimed at the right person.
5
Comey? Part of the swamp, a fellow who has besmirched himself. Truth, not him, only self-pity.
Jim, Wilmette
5
Enough of false equivalency! Again, like it happened during the election of 2016, the media are trying to compare the action of an honest hard working civil servant with a failed, boorish, disgusting and incompetent alleged business man. Yes Jim Comey is not perfect, no man (or woman) is. But compared to Trump? Look what false equivalency gave you and the rest of the world in 2016.
6
Jim Comey lied under oath to Congress and wrote a whiny book to get rich. Zero respect for this man.
3
Comey's decision about who to investigate based on his take of the political arena shows he has made too many trips down the rabbit hole and has lost his way out. As much as we want to take his side, there is no doubt he needed to be replaced. The rest of this is just childish prattle between two egotistical narcissists.
4
If this were Ancient Rome, Comey would have been the Praetorian Guard commander who engineered the palace coup and was then shocked, very shocked, to find his head on the chopping block.
1
Three questions:
1) What is the point of being soberly professional when you ain't got no job?
2) If having opinions is enough in our minds to disqualify people as credible witnesses to factual events, aren't we in-effect saying we will likely *never* ANYone's testimony or factual assessments on events as credible?
3) If everyone already as a negative or at-least conflicted opinion on Comey that's not likely to change, what's the harm in him saying whatever he wants?
It doesn't matter whether you like Comey, only whether you believe Comey. It doesn't matter whether you like what Comey opinions, only whether you believe Comey's story. Most of the time we have a term for people who are unable to distinguish between liking someone and believing someone: "morons". One of these days we're going to stop giving people impossible and futile hoops through which to jump.
1
Perhaps Comey’s cultivated image needs personal adjustment on his part. He contributed to the mess you are in, bigly.
1
When you're dealing with a crackpot, you have no alternative but to call the person names. Really, who in their right mind thinks Trump is anything but a crackpot? Why would anyone waste time discussing anything with a crackpot? I can't wait for Impeachment hearings.
4
Whose cultivated image?
it just might be Comey is willingly going to go down with this Titanic Trump ... he knows he blew it with HRC so gloves are off...
1
So this is the "straight shooter," as described by some pundits before his first exoneration of Hillary Clinton? Hmmmmm.
2
`Comey’s Attacks on Trump May Hurt Cultivated Image`
Just as Trump said, he`s a slimeball.
2
Regarding the headline, "a carefully cultured image" isn't something that anyone in the public eye is striving for anymore.
In all the name-calling and mud-slinging, can someone please tell us WHY?
Did Comey announce the Hillary Investigation 11 days before the election??
Did Comey think he was J. Edgar Hoover and ran the USA.
Some of what is said in the article may be true about Comey coming down to Trump's level. But Mr. Comey will be remembered for someone who finally said what had to be said. I agree that Trump is not morally fit to be President.
4
Democratic strategists aside, their is plenty about the story that is not known. How the Russia stole the election story got started is one. Brennan and Clapper got together and decided in their opinion the Russians are bad guys and they must have stole the election for Trump. The top echelons of the FBI are full of a Trump presidency must not happen types. Comey stated that it was his opinion that the Obama Justice Department had decided not to prosecute Hillary Clinton come hell or high water. The fact the Clinton email "hacking" were originally investigated by a private company not a law enforce agency. Suggesting there was nothing to investigate because it wasn't a hack but a leak from within the DNC. But the news media still arrogantly discusses the topic as if everything is already is known. When in fact almost none of the story that they have painted is beyond justifiable skepticism.
1
this guy is a cop. they are trained to make observations. you ask him what he saw he will tell you...coiffed hair, orange face, average hands. ask him what was said, he will tell you. ask him his evaluation of a situation he will tell you. seems the only thing he won't tell you is what he should have done differently other than press conference and letter regarding the clinton investigation which was seemingly against company policy while keeping secret the trump investigation.
3
Comey's comments regarding Trump's hair, hand size, and skin shade were petty and only hurt his credibility.
2
Trump was president for less than five months when he fired Comey. One understands that people don't usually care much for a boss that fires them, but realistically how well could Comey even know Trump? He speaks as if they spent hours together every day. It's just ridiculous.
2
The only way to fight back the bullying of Trump is to hit back, to point out his lies and shameful falsehoods, blow by blow and put him back to the corner. Look at Stormy Daniels's brilliant attorney, Michael Avenatti. He plays it by Trump's playbook and has won the battle for his client in the public arena. Keeping silence and taking Trump's gutter blows do not help the matter one iota. Sometimes, going on a high road to dodge a bully only emboldens a bully.
7
Hubris, and its symptom of playground snark, seems a rampant virus in D.C. Mr. Comey seems to have caught it. I admire many things about him but cannot be objective given his publicizing the investigation of HRC's emails on the cusp of the election. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. It gave us a childish, volatile tyrant who, with willing abettors in Congress and cabinet, is destroying the Republican party, American institutions, civility and respect for each other and, in the world, respect for American leadership, compassion, and our grand experiment in democracy.
Will the last adult leaving Washington please turn out the lights?
With the President leading the way, I don't see how anyone could say that someone who needs to use a flamethrower to combat an adversary that is a noted flamethrowing artist is hurting his image. Especially a 'cultivated image.
And at the end of the day just what effect will this image degradation have on the man's employability? Zero, and I suspect would even help it.
Trump has no qualms about trampling anyone in any way, and no remorse after doing it. I think that those who have been damaged by Mr. Trump should be entitled to report and opine any way they want on the experience.
And the worst of all is that we are talking about the President of the U.S., and I suspect that it is going to get far worse before it's over.
2
Thank you, I'm glad to see I was not the only one who thought the extra details could be left off. Mr Comey was appearing somewhat melodramatic when relating them.
If the facts can speak for themselves, why wrap them up in puffery about skin color, hair or clothing choices?
Mr. Comey's carefully crafted image went down the drain when he wrote to congerss to announce he was reopening the investigation into Hillary Clinton's e-mails because of what was discovered on Anthony Wiener's laptop.. With that act, he interjected himself and as it's leader the FBI into the 2016 election and may well have caused a change in the outcome. Mr. Comey earned no fans on the left for that and with this book, he has alienated what remained of the right. I think Mr. Comey would do best to take his royalties and vanish from the political seen and from public life, for that matter. He has done enought harm.
17
Why be caught in the past and fail to see that it is important work Comey is now doing to set things right? i am sure with hindsight Comey would not have done what he did regarding Clinton's e-mails. If clinton had been a stronger candidate, what Comey did would not have mattered, Clinton did a lot to damage her own candidacy by filling her pockets through her cosiness with Goldman Sachs and the like. Ultimately Clinton is to blame for her own defeat, though she certainly had help.
But now the USA is in a battle for its survival as a democracy and petty partisanship and loyalties have no place in the current struggle.
nope
Re your last sentence. I'd save that for the republicans in congress
May?
Comey has spent years damaging his image.
This is typical of why the media is getting blamed for 'fake news'. This is an opinion piece not a news story. The article is selectively focusing mainly on the snarky bits (and they are bits). I think there needs to be focus more on making sure that what is known about the 'president's' words and actions NOT become 'normalized for our country as a whole. Why is the NYTimes focusing on the 'snarky bits'? I think Comey should be lauded.
3
" Mr. Steel added, “he’s managed to alienate both.”
Sums it up.
1
The sheer hubris of Hillary and the Democrats to think James Comey caused them the election; it wasn't! It was Hillary's dismissal of disaffected citizens from Michigan and Wisconsin; who were emblematic of disaffected citizens due to Obama's lack of care. These were people who had voted for Obama for the last 8 years but changed their voting stance because their conditions were getting worse; As reported in the NYTimes, that 11%! of trump voters had voted for Obama for the last 8 years. Maybe if she had spent more time in flyover country instead of courting the coastals, she would have been elected. signed; A Conservative/Republican never trumper
3
"James Comey’s Attacks on Trump May Hurt a Carefully Cultivated Image"
No it won't.
2
Stop with the "he took the election from Hillary". Yes, what he did impacted the election but it was one of many factors. Yes I'm furious he did what he did. But who scares you more Comey or Trump. The rest are details and ultimately distractions.
1
It's hard to view Comey as a strict rules-follower. You don't hold press conferences to announce that you are, or aren't, investigating someone - that's a big no-no, as every prosecutor knows. And Comey knew it, too.
1
Sadly, when dealing with Trump, there is no high road to travel. If Comey's remarks seem low and base that is because he is describing a low, baseless man. There is no other way to confront Trump except on his own terms. His critics simply must understand that you have to smash him with every available weapon; he has left them no choice. The publication of this hand-wringing nonsense is one more regrettable instance of the false equivalence that lost Clinton the election . Don't make that mistake again.
4
Comey's interview is another indication that this man has the worst judgment. With his comments on HC during the election he might well have made Trump president. Despite his words, he seems to be clueless as to how he negatively effected history and the welfare of this country. It is distressing to find out that he was in charge of so much and possibly botched so much. Add McCabe and the IG report and we have an FBI that at the top is just plain incompetent or corrupt or both.
Having watched some of the interviews with Mr. Comey, I don't think he comes across very well. I think Comey became so obsessed with protecting his legacy he made some serious mistakes. He would have come off better is he had just written a book that didn't try to go "tit for tat" after Trump. HIs arguments regarding Clinton appear rather disingenuous - at least the ones I see in his interviews. I don't plan to read his book - I'm fully aware of what Trump is. I don't need Mr. Comey's commentary to tell me about it.
The headline and the article's main premise is not really accurate. James Comey's image was not carefully cultivated by James Comey.
It's sort of frustrating that your headline and article characterize his image as something that he has been working on, as though all of these years, he's been trying to carefully craft just the right picture for the public to see. He hasn't.
The image he has came from his actions... He didn't act to create a particular image. He acted honorably and his image followed. He IS that of his reputation. His stand-up guy, boy scout image is there because he is that. He has demonstrated that his whole life.
He's not a participant in this 21st century PR heavy time we live in, where it's all about creating an image of yourself with the various media outlets and social media opportunities, then seeing if the people buy it... He's old-school: He actually did all of the good stuff, all the right stuff in his life up until now (with a couple of mistakes, as he is a human after all), and his image came as a result of his actions. He's the real deal.
1
Mr. Comey's out-sized ego is on full display. The "truth" is only known to him; everyone else is severely flawed. At least J. Edgar Hoover was quiet.
1
Are the authors of this story seriously holding a private citizen to a higher standard than The President of The United States?
1
Yeah. I don't know what Comey is thinking, but he's squandering his hard-earned reputation -- for what? The petty Trumpian satisfaction of taking cheap shots (like hand size) in revenge? Extra book sales from including unverified salacious gossip? Very hard to understand.
1
Is he? I don't know that, and, I suspect, neither do you:
"Comey is a highly accomplished federal prosecutor and respected lawman."
Comey was the head of the FBI (I have no clue whether he was a "highly accomplished federal prosecutor and respected lawman", though I'll note that opinions seem to differ on that) and it seemed to me he was telling the truth about the facts he reported when he was fired. His book reportedly adds no facts and, with all due respect to Comey, I couldn't care less about his opinions (just as I doubt he cares about mine).
Bottom line, I just can't see devoting the time to read his book, nor the money to buy it. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I doubt it.
Even Queen Elizabeth, a woman famous for her dignity and stiff upper lip, has let the odd 'improper' sentiment slip out when severely provoked.
I think Comey's voicing of his frustration and fear for the future of our government is understandable. Especially now since he is not longer part of it.
As an aside, how could a professional lawman not notice that the person he was listening to was ....... orange?
4
Mr. Comey is just attempting to alert the American public as to the weird, unethical and dishonest liar who was elected to our country’s highest office. Trump has already destroyed the careers of many dedicated lifelong public servants and will surely destroy more before he is done. What an incredible mess! I hope the sales of Comey’s book not only makes the American electorate think better about who should occupy the office of President, but also allows Comey to never have to work again! I’ve certainly ordered my copy!
1
I disagree. Whatever mistakes Comey may have made in his professional life--and his mistakes regarding Hillary may have been enormous--he has established a good claim to being non partisan, based on his behavior under the Bush administration. Now that he has been removed from his professional position, he, like every other person, is entitled to express his own opinions and impressions. His impression that Donald Trump acts like a Mafia boss, is not just an ad hominem attack. It is the first hand impression of someone who has dealt with Mafia bosses, and, therefore, contributes information that is important to the public discussion. It is all the more important because it supports an impression already conveyed by President Trump's public actions--an impression that his behavior as President is exceptionally concerned with his own personal welfare as opposed to that of the nation he has been elected to lead. Michael Steele's assertion to the contrary is not the opinion of an objective observer.
84
As a Democrat I am angry with Mr. Comey but cannot Join the vilification chorus. Donald trump’s persona must not be filtered thru a presidential lens...the fact that he tans himself to an orange color MATTERS. It says something about his egocentric personality. I wish more people who had first hand knowledge would open up (I’m talking to you congressional Republicans).
1
In this age of Trump many officials are saying things that we've never heard from such officials before, regardless their political affiliation. A greater concern is this is becoming the new normal.
Thank you Mr. Comey for serving our country honorably and for telling the truth.
2
If Comey is such a great judge of character then how does he explain Andrew McCabe?
1
James Comey fits neatly into the disgruntled fired former employee category. He still refuses to acknowledge he was wrong to call a press conference on July 5, 2016, to proclaim Hillary Clinton should not be charged with mishandling classified information. He should have left the decision whether to prosecute Clinton up to the Justice Department, but gave in to his eagerness to proclaim Clinton innocence of criminal intent. In his May 9, 2017, letter recommended that Comey should be fired, Deputy Attorney General wrote, “The director was wrong to usurp the Attorney General's authority on July 5, 2016, and announce his conclusion that the case should be closed without prosecution. It is not the function of the Director to make such an announcement. At most, the Director should have said the FBI had completed its investigation and presented its findings to federal prosecutors. The Director now defends his decision by asserting that he believed attorney General Loretta Lynch had a conflict. But the FBI Director is never empowered to supplant federal prosecutors and assume command of the Justice Department. There is a well-established process for other officials to step in when a conflict requires the recusal of the Attorney General. On July 5, however, the Director announced his own conclusions about the nation's most sensitive criminal investigation, without the authorization of duly appointed Justice Department leaders.”
It's pretty rich for journalists to be claiming that a former lawman might hurt his image by writing a revealing and truthful tome about his experiences in his former career. He is no longer working as a lawman. He is now an author and a pretty good one at that. When a person changes career his actions in the new career are not constrained by his former career and its responsibilities.
1
Comey's brave decision to speak the whole. ugly truth has only increased my admiration for him. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I applaud his courage and chutzpah in going where the craven and cowardly and cowed Republicans who have the utter nerve to call themselves representatives of the people have feared even to tiptoe. I think Comey's forbearance under attacks from the sorry excuse for a leader in the Oval Office has been remarkable, and I look forward to seeing him keep it up--I would say until the Marmalade Menace gets the message, but I don't think he ever will--so until the forces of democracy, decency and justice triumph, as they must.
2
He is fighting fire with fire. The DNC should have done this long ago. He doesn't have to change Democrats' minds. He has to change Trump supporters' minds and this is clearly the kind of rhetoric that sways them. Until now, Trump has had a monopoly on the politics of insult.
1
It seems that all the media criticism is aimed at Mr. Comey no longer behaving like an FBI Director, as if that were the only acceptable persona he should project. But since the day Trump fired him he has been a private citizen who no longer carries an obligation to remain neutral.
I do not have a copy of his book, but apparently the story he offers encompasses a great deal more than just his interactions with Trump. And rather than just pettiness it could be said that his descriptions of Trump reveal his sense of observation; it seems to me that he was walking through every impression he had, beginning with the physical ones.
In becoming a private citizen, Mr. Comey has had to redefine his role in life and find another way to be in service to his country. It appears that he has chosen to use his notoriety as a platform to beseech Americans to hold themselves accountable for our current state of affairs. He points to the many ways in which Trump is the antithesis of our traditional American values and calls on us to preserve them through our votes.
It seems that there are many who are looking for a hero to worship in these dangerous times of political insanity, and people are disappointed to find that Mr. Comey is a mere mortal possessing human flaws. And it seems that this disappointment is overshadowing the message Comey is trying to convey...that Trump lacks the moral character and ethical standards that we should insist on for our president.
85
Unfortunately the United States is losing the battle being waged on it's respect and dignity by the likes of Trump and now Comey. It used to be that we could look at our nation's leaders and representatives, and even though we might not agree with their politics, we saw for the most part that they acted with respect to the office they held. But when political matters become personal and our officials act with a blatant disregard towards decorum, it's time to show them the door, all of them, and start over.
In watching Comey in interviews and in reading excerpts from his book, Comey seems like a character fit for complex and amusing fiction, as he is well-educated, articulate, and capable of fairly complex self-analysis-- but is also occasionally impulsive, self-isolating, and immature. His venturing to comment on Trump's hands and tanning marks seems an odd instance of regression more expensive to Comey than to Trump; C's compulsion (phrased oddly as a moral imperative) to broadcast the FBI's persistent curiosity about Clinton's emails eleven days before the 2016 election, without announcing the investigation of Trump's connections to Russia, Putin, propaganda and election tampering, a more costly instance. If it were morally imperative to announce (again) an interest in Clinton's email (that bore no investigative fruit) why not announce the investigation into Trump, which is ongoing and has resulted already in numerous indictments and guilty pleas among Trump's associates?
I don't think it's fair to Comey. How many people, professionals, have commented on the orangeness, or the hair? Comey is human, he's a trained observer, and frankly, he's got a right to be upset for being fired without reasonable cause. Taken in the totality of the book, which I understand is a memoir as much as a reveal of what happened with Trump, I think people are being too critical of his observations. Does anyone really think Trump is morally or otherwise fit for the office? Is it truly a low road to state the obvious? Given the complicity of the GOP, I for one am grateful ONE moral leader has spoken up to call a spade a spade, an orange an orange.
4
To be fair, Comey’s observations about Trump are not attacks, not even are the partisan. They’re just observations of fact that we have all observed so far. It’s disappointing to see the Times adopting Trump’s framing of this.
2
So many high-minded pieties about Comey "stooping" to Trump's level, writing a "self-serving" memoir etc. etc. To all of them I say "3 cheers for Comey"! (And, as an aside, 3 cheers for Stormy Daniels and her lawyer for the same reasons.) Here's a good man, by all accounts an honest public servant respected by everyone who has worked with him, who was treated horribly by the most unqualified President to ever sit in the White House. I wonder, if all these people clucking over Comey's decision to tell his side of the story in his own words, would be so judgmental if they were the ones who had to go home to a wife and 5 children and tell them they had just heard that they had lost their jobs, had their reputations smirched and been PUBLICLY fired on TV!
3
People will always defend bullies, especially the weak. It’s almost like people don’t want to defend victims, don’t want to upset the status quo. Personally, I think it’s great that Comey is standing up against the man who bullied him and fired him on tv. I wonder how many more government officials Trump will have to fire? I mean, he’s going to have to fire a lot of people in order to squash the investigation concerning his possible criminality. I hope Trump squirms as much as he has made his victims squirm.
You can't have it both ways NYT. You can't condemn the GOP for not speaking up to a bully, then condemn a public servant (who also happens to be GOP) for standing up to a bully using clear respectful language.
I don't subscribe to the unimpugnable image of Comey as morally infallible stalwart of the FBI. I do, however, accept that he has broken through the strictures of expectations to actually sound the alarm, in a meaningful way, from the inside of Government. I think much of the preening and posturing by other members of government, who appear bent on preserving a status quo that President shattered long ago, has assisted in making our institutions virtually powerless in the face of heretofore, unprecedented corruption gnawing at the very foundations of our democracy. I applaud Mr. Comey's clear-eyed descriptions of a monstrous persona, whose predilections and follies put the world at risk. For those craving the return to civility, seek it first in the Office of President.
Comey is a partisan actor and to his discredit, has besmirched the FBI's reputation.
2
Comey and Trump are both clearly legends in their own minds. And to the extent you agree or disagree with either man'a arrogance and hubris depends upon your personal context and perspective.
Comey is a private citizen who is disclosing his personal feelings and judgments about his interactions with Trump when he served as Director of the F.B.I. Equating this situation with what would be appropriate to disclose when he was Director is both misguided and silly. We cannot have a free country when such things are kept secret. While saying such things would be detrimental to the institution not disclosing after he is no longer in office affords the public important facts about how our public institutions are working.
Hurt his "carefully cultivated image"? I have more respect for the person who is willing to throw his image under the bus in order to do what is best for his country. That takes guts and courage.
3
i don't believe there are any other government jobs awaiting mr Comey. he has nothing to lose. Trumper cannot handle people that have Nothing to lose. as far as his image. i did not like him much before. but i will take him at his word unlike the lie teller in the oval office.
1
Ever since the republican primary debates beginning in 2015 through today, it's incredible to see grown men sniping at each other like teenage girls. I guess this is part of Trump's legacy!
Who cares if he is criticizing Trump? It is about time that someone with courage tells Americans how it is in such a public way. Unusual for a public official to criticize the president? Maybe. Unusual to have such an incompetent and destructive leader as Mr. Trump as president? Most certainly. I am hoping that more public people--religious and lay begin to spell out exactly, like Mr. Comey, what kind of man the U.S. president really is. Thank you Mr. Comey. I believe everything and have seen everything about Mr. Trump that you have outlined.
126
the proof of any accusation is in the puddling and when Mueller is finished with his job, Comey will be the hero.
I agree with you. Unfortunately, however, Trump's supporters actually love him, not in spite of his behavior, but because of it. No horrible revelation can shake them out of their support for him. They like it because he is a bigot, because he is a misogynist, because he is a bully, because he gets his news from Fox, because he is a liar, because he has no shame, etc., etc.
We will never convince them. We must vote.
2
NYT, you and others have over-focused on the few physical observations - are you really surprised that a G-Man notices stuff? And can Mr. Comey not be allowed a moment's snark at Mr. 'Mine's Bigger' who sought to dominate and then humiliate him?
Far from stooping, Mr. Comey has gone toe-to-toe - defending American norms and sounding a cogent, often eloquent alarm about unprincipled menace in the White House. It stands in great contrast to the 'morning constitutional' grunts, lies and insults emanating from the Residence.
Trump plays to America's worst instincts of avarice, unrestrained impulse and mob loyalty. Comey calls on our better angels of honesty, openness and yes a loyalty - but to our common Idea. Contrast that boldness with the silence of the GOP's timid lambs, and the tepid critiques of the elected Dems.
Thanks JIm - carry on!
61
If he believes Trump is a danger to our nation and to the world, he is obligated to speak up about what he has seen. Too many office-holding supporters, who seem more concerned with power and money than with our nation's well being, smile in T's face but remain silent. Thank you, Mr. Comey, for speaking up for all of us.
1
"Bravo" to James Comey for saying what a lot of us think about Trump, as in "morally unfit to be president", etc., et al. Comey will do fine in the future. There is no comparison between him and the narcissistic, misogynistic demagogue Trump who is a danger to the country, the world - and, yes, even to his over-inflated self.
33
So either his ego or incompetence helped throw the election to land us in this nightmare and now he's walking around doing a hurt bunny book tour? To my fellow Democrats: this is an example of where the enemy of our enemy is definitely not our friend.
6
I am a Democrat and don't agree with Douglas at all. I wasn't a fan of the email incident but Comey has redeemed himself in ways that go way beyond "what he did to Hillary." If I remember correctly, at the time it was said that there was pressure from FBI agents in New York on Comey and that he was afraid they would leak the information if he didn't announce it. I voted for Clinton, wanted her to win, but think she would have been investigated interminably if she had. It's funny to see the hypocrisy of the Republicans now. If it had been Hillary they would have been passing laws to be sure a special counsel could not be fired, or even criticized. I am so tired of partisin rancor!
1
I think that's an overly-simplistic perspective.
1
When the bully gets taken down, it usually the quiet kid that nobody was looking at who does it. In this case, Trump picked on the wrong 6'8" kid! You go, Jimmy!
32
When you wrestle with a pig, you have to get dirty. Comey knows that. There is no tippy toeing around the edges, so he can stay clean. Comey is going to roll up his sleeves, dive in the mud and go for Trump's throat. Up to this point, Trump has rolled over all challengers. Each one of those challengers was weak. Each one failed to stand up to Trump's tactics. Each one wilted like a wet towel. Comey won't be rolled over. He won't submit like Bush, Rubio and Cruz did. Even Obama allowed himself to be played like a fiddle by Trump. Comey won't play that game. He is going for Trump's throat, and all Trump is doing is squealing.
13
No, I think instead he’s trying to draw all of Trump’s attention so that Mueller has a little more time to get ready to bring this whole show down
4
Yeah, but he's right, right? Civility hasn't worked so far, so kudos for a high level fella to sound as reasonable as he can in criticizing a master-of-distraction flim-flam man. There's a gap between brusk and curt.
5
I don’t like Trump but with these petulant attacks (e.g., on his skin tone?), Comey comes off looking and smelling as bad as his nemesis.
4
A few surface remarks and he comes off as bad as Trump? That's all it takes? I'd print out the laundry list of Trump offenses in just the last month, but it's been done by countless others. There are good reasons to be frustrated with Comey - I do believe his poor judgment helped put this clown in office - but this instinct toward false equivalencies is part of the problem. Get a grip.
What a Bizarro World we live in. We have a president man-child who is a bully, a narcissist, a philanderer, a con-artist, a hypocrite.
And we have a man like James Comey who is not a perfect human being and has made what many have called errors in judgment. But blaming him for Hillary Clinton's loss because of his news conference on her e-mail fiasco is more than sour grapes by the Democrats.
She lost that election for the same reason her e-mail issues got out of control: her refusal to listen to her advisors. She was the candidate who didn't think it was necessary to visit Pennsylvania because she wanted instead to concentrate on the "red" states to fully humiliate Trump.
She was the candidate who was cavalier about wiping her e-mail server "with what, a cloth?" and who refused to fall on her sword and admit an error in judgment early on in her campaign.
James Comey was a bit player in that drama. Clinton was the star. For this Democrat, it is gratifying to (finally) see someone take on Donald Trump and push back forcefully. A schoolyard bully is usually stopped by a sharp punch to the nose. Comey is delivering that punch to Trump. And for that he has my undying gratitude.
18
Come on, Julie, Jonathan and the NYT, give me a break.
Since when is calling an unethical liar who is morally unfit to be president "an unethical liar who is morally unfit to be president" a no no?
Trump's fans should be delighted to know that his hands are of normal size, it just confirms Trump's statement that "little Marco" was in error and Trump really is a stud; we also have Stormy to confirm that.
Trump has damaged immensely the integrity of every American citizen in the eyes of the world, including Russian eyes. The world is now aware that any responsible agreement made by the United States is valid only as long as a 4-year single presidential term.
There is no honor in your protecting a blowhard bigot when exposing him for the charlatan he is is the correct and honorable thing to do.
11
His comments fit what we are dealing with the Twittering Trump which many don't care about all the lies plus fake news he and his Party put out daily. Funny how many don't think he has the right to defend himself. Nothing wrong with be ethical and honest. According to Trump everyone is a liar that doesn't agree with him.
4
Comey has conclusively demonstrated that he is a thoughtful, honest, and concerned person. His dealings with the hillary situation was completely appropriate. His descriptions of Trump's sordid behavior are needed so that Trump's malevolence is not sanitized. I am sure Comey would prefer to not be speaking of that garbage.
PROSECUTE RUSSIAGATE!
3
Mr. Comey critics are the same people who said nothing when these people were disrespecting mr Obama. And now they are making excuses against mr Comey when he tarnishes mr Trump. The man called him slime ball and lying Comey, so what do you expect him to do just say nothing. Noway he should fight back and now he has a platform where he can return fire. Kudos to him for standing up to a bully. Bullies cannot stand people who fight back. Like Sean Connery said in untouchable " they put one of your men in the emergency, you put two of theirs in the morgue".
5
Finally someone has the guts and credibility to stand up to the bully. If nobody stands up to the bully, he just keeps piling it on and all the sycophants around him, ie, the Republican Party, or whatever passes for that today, just enables him to our great detriment. I applaud Coney for taking on this miserable excuse of a president.
4
It would be so easy to get into the gutter when responding to Trump. However, you do that at your own risk. Trump’s natural surroundings are in the gutter. Be careful, Mr. Comey. By responding to his crude, nonsensical diatribes, he’ll pull you down. Not easy to stay on the high road when dealing with an ignorant bully but important not to take the bait.
1
I would give Comey a pass here. This is not a typical president. He isn't even a typical bad president. Trump is so profoundly inept, so profoundly psychopathological, so profoundly unqualified, unprepared, divisive, mean-spirited, deceitful, and flawed that he deserves a special level of scrutiny. For Trump, the personal is the political. I don't think they can be teased out from one another. His entire experience in office is about looking in the mirror. Comey's entire political career has been reduced to a footnote in the Trump epoch. Comey is producing a response for the historical record, and he knows it.
5
Comey is imperfect. He's human.
Trump is a disaster. An absolute personal disaster of a human and a disaster for our country. (And the GOP is allowing this disaster.)
I'm okay with Comey pushing back. In fact, I appreciate it.
7
he was high minded about not sharing what he knew about Trump BEFORE the election, and look where we are now. perhaps it's time to get down in the dirt
3
This is the first time in his life Comey has a chance to publicly speak the truth. Fortunately, he is motivated by truth; that is what outstanding investigators are about. Trump would be a total joke as an investigator, because the truth means nothing to him. Comey speaks out because there needs to be a counterpoint equal in size and loudness to that of Trump's lies that are reverbated around the globe. Even if there were some self-interest in terms of book sales, it would not change his commitment to telling the truth. If money could buy a fraction of the comitment to truth that Comey has been born with, Trump would have sacrificed his empire for it a long time ago. Trump instead needs to be always dishonest, because else nobody in the entire universe would notice him. No need for prostitutes? Ha!
4
I hate to stick up for Comey because I really think he and Bill Clinton are the reason we don't have a woman President. Thanks men. That said, yes this is against the norm but so is the entire Presidency--the emperor not only has no clothes--his nakedness is unfit. So I don't mind people saying that out loud.
1
Comey overstepped while at the FBI. He was way more chatty and pontificating than his job description. He seems very sanctimonious and spotlight-craving.
It was Bill Clinton's good luck that sanctimonious jerk Ken Starr led the charge against him. It made things look personal and overreaching. The same sort of good luck is happening to Trump.
Why is it no one gets that Comey was deeply hurt and made angry when a clown like Trump ending his career to save his own tail?
While it is true Comey's book would have a tighter focus without the personal derision it should not dilute the factual story.
1
Let me see if I have this straight. If James Comey verbally attacts Donald Trump it might tarnish his image but it’s perfectly okay for Trump to attack Comey, the FBI, the Constitution, the women he’s assaulted sexually and anyone that doesn’t agree with and genuflect to his every dictatorial whim and demand.
3
Okay, I am just going to say this about James Comey. It's about time someone in Washington spoke the truth about our so called 'president' in Washington. Make up your minds people. You want someone to speak the truth and then you criticize someone who spoke the truth. Which is it? Regular Americans like me have been waiting for someone to stand up and speak honestly about what we all have witnessed each and every day for the last 15 months! And let me say, it is making us all sick watching Trump and his corrupt family and friends pull our country apart at the seams! He has literally destroyed the State Department, the Justice Department and is working on the FBI. What next? The CIA? The Supreme Court? He is ripping our constitution to shreds! He is everything James Comey said he is. THANK YOU JAMES COMEY. Does anyone else in Washington want to stand up for the American people? I may be a regular American with little to no power in Washington, but I guarantee you that I will do EVERYTHING in my power to stop this president and stop the cronyism in Washington.
4
My guess is that Mueller is gritting his teeth while Comey goes on with this carny act. Comey would have been better served writing Op-Ed pieces and joining a think tank where he could have avoided the personal pettiness of the cliched, post public service, book tour and concentrated on the substantive positions. Instead the pupil who not only brings but also polishes the teachers apple plays out his messianic act for all to see and ends up with the thorns, if not the cross and none of the benefits of an afterlife.
And if Mr. Comey had not spoken out to protect his cultivated image, would the Times have applauded? I think not. Heads I win, tails you lose.
1
It’s been clear for a long time that anyone who associates with Trump - either in support or opposition to him - inevitably gets brought down into the gutter with him. Comey is no exception.
That old saw about wrestling with a pig comes to mind - except that comparing Trump to a pig is an insult to pigs everywhere.
1
With all due respect to upstanding journalists but less for talking heads with an agenda, I find it hilarious & pathetic that in talking about Comey's book that runs 304 pages, they seem to focus on Comey's "colorful" description of Trump's appearance, amounting to a limited number of words of tens of thousands, yet, they are ready to brand Comey's book & media tour "tawdry", "petty". Really? He is a writer painting a descriptive picture of a man who he met face to face, hand shake to hand shake.
And is this description anything new?
Haven't we all seen the orange skin, the white raccoon like semi-circles under the eyes, the long red tie (which by the way, is scotch taped front to back), the "little" hands (not as little as Comey thought) for months, the yellow hair( which after staring at, Comey found "real") for ourselves? Why is that putting Comey "down in the gutter" as a former Obama DOJ official (under Comey as Director)?
Haven't there been countless comedy shows, magazine articles et al., making fun of Trump's appearance including these details over this seemingly endless period in our history? Wasn't it Trump's daughter Ivanka who made fun of her father's daily hair comb over routine describing it in excrutiating & hilarious detail? Wasn't it Trump himself who defended the size of his hands band then, talked about the size of other body parts - his genitals?
I wait to judge Comey's book until I read all 304 pages.
3
The detestable James Comey alerted the House Republicans about the emails on Wiener's phone because he was afraid of them. A total coward. And now he is going around the country persuading typically credulous liberals to buy his book, after the damage he has done to their cause.
It is nauseating. It is even more stomach-churning listening to liberals turn into the greatest champions of the FBI, an institution which has consistently spied on progressive groups and sabotaged left wing organizations with impunity for decades.
The utter gullibility of liberals is one of the major reasons our country is in a total mess.
1
Comey is pretty far out along the Asperger’s spectrum. He doesn’t cultivate images. He just does what he thinks is right.
Comey's book title reminds me of the Hebrew National kosher hot dog slogan: "We answer to a higher authority"!
21
Cute, but c'mon, what is happening to the USA, and the risk to the world from the Trump administration is deadly serious and we should not be lampooning someone who is standing up to say that our society has to remain anchored to the truth.
John Dean, the White House counsel for Richard Nixon in the early 1970s, also had his character and image attacked and bruised for telling the truth about a president’s evil actions in the White House. Dean survived the character assassinations and became widely known as the honest one who helped save the nation from the high crimes of the Watergate scandal. So, too, may James Comey become known and remembered for his outspoken revelations as he also attempts to save the country from a lying, corrupt president.
181
however, dean showed se class and didn't make the attacks so personal and vile. comey has no class in this process. he could still tell the truth and retain some form of dignity. he chose to debase himself in the process
1
There was more than met the eye in John Dean, and more to Watergate. Dean was handsomely rewarded for his work in book deals, which now are the common currency of life-after-politics. Cash in while you can, Jim Comey!
What about Hillary Clinton?
The life of an apparatchik. Can’t offend his current masters( Obama, Lynch) by charging Clinton. Can’t offend his possible future masters by being easy on Clinton or by mentioning Trump. All the while he hears little mini- Comey whispering in his ear.. “you are a paragon of the ethical man.”
8
Comey is playing into the hands of Trump allies? Do you think that a zero-personal-interpretation-personal-memoir would stop Trump allies from attacking Comey's credibility?
No, it is you -- Davis and Martin -- who are playing into the hands of Trump allies. The so-called "despicables" became a political force in 2016 in reaction to the your hyper PC, intellectually dishonest, judgmental, holier-than-thou rhetorics. You are the downfall of sensible Democrats.
29
Please. Stop.
Comey is G-Man with a long work history that is unmarked by scandal, and he is known for being a man of integrity, an honest man. (Albeit kind of a stiff with a 6'8" ego.)
So he writes a book about how weird and how scary it was to work for a very dishonest POTUS who acts like a mob boss.
By any standard- that is a pretty newsworthy and important story - and it needs to be told.
Now he is answering questions the way authors answer questions- book tours and talk shows.
Period.
165
This picking apart of Comey is just ridiculous. He's an honest man, period. Are honest men perfect? No. Nobody is perfect. Does he come across as an officious boy scout twit? Yeah, sometimes. Big deal.
I wish the NYT had spent a little more time tearing down Trump before the election. Instead, they bent over backwards trying to present him as a legitimate candidate. I guess now they're taking a page out of Fox Fake News--come up with as many angles as possible to denigrate decent people.
If there were some sort of club or "tribe" of people like James Comey, I'd apply for membership.
2
"Cultivated image" has absolutely nothing to do with this issue. Totally irrelevant and off message. This article seems to be an attempt to distract from the root cause of Mr. Comey's remarks.
The core scenario described in this semi-sensationalist article is simply Donald Trump's unfitness to be President. Period.
Let's all wake up, and be distracted by side issues that are totally irrelevant.
It is time to stop beating around the bush and distracting ourselves from the cold, ugly reality. Donald Trump is unfit to be President of the United States.
81
Amen. Amen Amen.
So we're just forgetting about his ridiculous decision to "notify Congress" right before an election that there might, maybe, I dunno, be emails related to something Hillary did or didn't do on this one guy's computer, maybe, I dunno...
6
There has never been a president so outside the lines.
31
Comey’s remarks about Trump’s hands, skin color and evidence of artificial tanning may simply be to make Trump seethe with anger. He knows what really get’s under the guy’s skin and is willing to seem petty in order hit him with it.
22
What really should bug Trump is the way Comey praises President Obama. Of course, he won't read anything except for the bits about himself. I wonder if his staff is trying to keep him away from it?
2
An attack on Trump's vanity in an attempt to get a vile profane reaction.
Before said reaction is played a "Warning This contains material that may be offensive to some people and not suitable for persons under the age of 18." will have to be displayed.
Is this news or is this opinion? It can be very hard to tell these days, at least for me.
6
Who needs to read further in Comey's book than his passage where he describes his decision making?
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2018/04/15/comey-wife-wanted-woman-presid...
3
I'm as sick of Jim Comey as I am of Stormy Daniels. Both appear as little more than money-grubbers at this point.
I just want all these people to go away and recede into the mists of antiquity like Darth Cheney and Nixon and Reagan. I want a president who does the country's business without running his mouth every day and sticking his big fat mug onto every newspaper and television screen into existence. I want my country back.
Alas, I know it will never be the same. The United States and its institutions and Constitutions will be forever damaged and unrecognizable. The baby boomer generation is often reviled and I say mea culpa. But our progeny had better realize that once we sit down and shut up and die, there will be no one left who remembers the way it used to be, and perhaps could help put Humpty-Dumpty back together again. Good luck, kids. YOYO.
12
Barbyr, Comey is not without fault but he is one of the good guys even if you don't recognize it. He was part of a government institution that has, for the most part stood for American values. I was skeptical of Stormy Daniels, but it's amazing what has fallen out of the weeds because her lawyer is challenging the non-disclosure agreement. I lament the denigration of our American institutions also, but Comey and Daniels are not to blame -- it is Trump and his lackeys, and the supposedly upright Republicans in Congress who can't bring themselves to speak up about what Trump is doing to our institutions.
I am happy he came out and said things we all think about tRump..He was fired for the Russian investigation. I was not a fan of his talk about the Clinton email witch hunt.
1
Can't help thinking Comey is, if not working for Trump, then doing what he can to make people feel sorry for him, see him as victim rather than victimizer. First he took the election away from Hillary--and now this. Very bad for Hilary timing and now overkill that will probably raise rather than lower Trump's poll numbers. It's hard to make people feel sorry for Trump or overlook his many transgressions. One way is to act Trump-like, to name call, to label him in a very negative manner, as though everybody does this, so what's the big deal if our president does. Play Trump's game and he will win. He is the master at this dirty game.
With me it doesn't hurt his image at all. He's human - He's allowed to take an easy shot at Trump once in a while. Trump constantly tries to smear Comey. (And I mean, the hands really are not in proportion to the body - just sayin, while Trump is the one that has brought up his own hand size anyway. And Trump IS ridiculously orange, with those goggle marks from the spray tan... He looks like a clown. You can't deny it).
But it doesn't take away from Comey's record serving this country. Just make a list of each of their positive attributes, accomplishments, shortcomings and failures etc... I think we all know Trump's side of the list would be full of negatives and failures, that would likely fill a book. On the other side, we'd surely be able to fill another book with Comey's positives and good qualities.
It's simple, you just have to ask yourself: Which one would you feel comfortable letting your daughter date?
8
A man upset he didn’t get to become HRC’s J. Edgar Hoover reveals his true self.
Political kabuki. All of it.
7
If he really wanted to be FBI Director under a Hilary Clinton administration, he would have released that Trump's campaign team was also under investigation.
Oh, come on. Comey is human, after all. Trump attacks and defames him ceaselessly. In the face of Trump's incivility, Comey has borne himself with dignity and restraint up to now, but enough is enough.
43
“James Comey’s Attacks on Trump May Hurt a Carefully Cultivated Image”
NO !!!
James Comey in his memoir is pointing to the truth, as he has always done. A careful read of this and previous related articles in the context of recent history, show Trump to be dangerous to America and the World.
Thomas Watson, the founder of IBM, famously said:
“…it's very difficult to build and very easy to destroy.”
While past Presidents and everyone would want to build a stronger, more equitable and prosperous society and economy, the Twitter in Chief has been reducing America’s position and status in the world and damaging America’s society, economy and its future.
While the Draft Dodger in Chief continues to grace his acidic comments and destructive decisions with superlative adjectives, reality shows that he is alone and divisive in his actions and decision making.
But none of the comments of revulsion and horror expressed against the Twitter in Chief matter. He marches on to his own tune and the voices in his head and listens to or takes the advice from no one !!! But the Bully in Chief believes that he is above reproach and that he is always right on anything.
Bottom Line: The Bully in Chief cares only about himself and nothing else, and is moving forward with his eyes only on himself in the mirror,
This self-centered egotistical selfish unpatriotic misogynistic racist clown does not have the qualifications to serve as President.
America is paying the price !!!
11
I do not think Comey cares. Every Trump tweet sells thousands more books, not a bad retirement supplement.
4
Seriously? Mr. Comey mentions four (little) things (Mr. Trump's "orange" complexion, his tiny hands, his obvious fake tan goggle eyes and his long ties) and that's all you and many others want to focus on?
Every day. Every tweet. Every word out of Mr. Trump's mouth is a personal attack or insult on someone else - and you're worried about this?
In the meantime the MSM is missing the really important things that Mr. Trump is doing to this country.
BTW - everything Mr. Comey said about Mr. Trump is true - no fake news there. You should be commending him.
68
So, we've established that Jim Comey is human. Relative to the barrage of infantile name-calling from Trump, Comey is exhibiting remarkable restraint.
6
On the one hand he may be shooting himself in the foot since so many Clinton supporters are so angry with him.
On the other, he's getting Trump and Republicans upset by pushing their buttons.
Maybe this is finally what we've been waiting for to unify Democrats and Republicans!
3
I hate what Comey did to Hillary Clinton in October, 2016.
However, the man, Comey, lost his lifetime career in a very callous way from a president who obviously has mental problems.
Give Comey a break to recover. The mistake he made was probably to say he didn’t think Trump had mental problems. That statement gave Trump too much credit.
8
"Comey did to Hillary Clinton" Please lose that big lie, soon. It is getting old. Even hearing Clinton natter on about it is more than most Americans can take. What the American people did was refuse to be scammed by a dishonest, deceitful, lazy, craven, lying Democratic party that had done NOTHING the past 8 years but work its pathetic gender and race politics games (are LBGT rights REALLY so important?) instead of doing anything that required thought, guts, REAL action, or perseverance. And Americans were sick of it. Getting her out of the way was the best thing to happen to the US in years.
2
Comey said he made his comments about Clinton because he--like just about every poll and pundit predicted--thought Mrs. Clinton had the election in the bag. I see no reason to disbelieve him. Not that he's any kind of pure--he was in favor of waterboarding before he was against it. And he is insufferably self-righteous.
These attacks by Comey along with attacks by the liberal media and FAKE news reports will ensure a second term in office for Trump. Especially when the truth is finally exposed.
5
There is nothing wrong with Comey's accurate attention to detail. But there is something wrong with all the attention on Comey's attention to minor details. THIS is what Trump's campaign wants us focused on instead of the larger issue that Trump is a liar and a threat to our norms and thereby our democracy.
Besides, where are there any "personal potshots"?
Comey had the misfortune of meeting Trump up close. As a trained member of law enforcement, I would hope he has the skill to observe and remember.
He's simply passing on to us a detailed observation, warts and all.
Was any of it inaccurate? He didn't color it one way or another.
Comey could have, for example, said that Trump had the skin of a bloated, dead hog rotting in the sun instead of simply observing it was "orange." Or he could have pointed out that his massive hands dwarfed the so-called president's when they shook, but he was careful to point out Trump's hands are actually average in size and not tiny (as is often claimed).
Whatever anyone else sees in Comey's description of Trump is up to their own subjectivity and conclusions.
28
On the other hand, it would be better to focus on the relevant facts. Tan lines are not relevant, nor clothing choices or hairstyles. When these things are presented as extra justification for Comeys' actions, it discloses a very interesting side of his personality.
I am sick to death of everyone BUT Donald Trump being held to account for infractions large and small. Comey's remarks have been pointed, but also civil and without bombast. He hasn't made wild, baseless and mean-spirited accusations, like Trump has. He hasn't laid down in the gutter the way Trump has. He hasn't lied day in and day out to the American people as Trump does. He has spoken the truth. Trump IS unfit to be president. How can there be any doubt? For Comey to say so and to suggest that the voters should be the ones to turn him out of office (per democratic norms) is a responsible, justified position. It seems like remediating the Trump disaster is just too tough a problem for this country to tackle so people are intent on cutting down softer targets like Comey, Franken and -- still, after 16 months -- Clinton in order to derive some satisfaction. For goodness's sake, knock it off. Stop telling the truth-tellers to shut up, and holding everyone to impossibly high standards while holding Trump to no standards at all.
453
Came here to say this exact thing.
3
Thank you.
2
Just say I have to applaud your observation as it is SO very well put - that the Trump disaster is "just too tough" to tackle and so "softer targets "are "cut down."
I have felt this SO many times.
1
Comey lost the high road with this book. I’m sure he knows this but decided that getting into the mud with Trump was worth the money.
5
He lost income when he lost his job. It's reasonable that he will make some income with his book. Also reasonable that he wanted to tell him side of the story.
1
I wasn't happy about Comey re-opening the Clinton investigation as the Presidential campaign was drawing to a close. He may very well have tilted the election in Donald Trump's favor by that action.
I also wonder at times whether anything is to be gained playing Trump's game straight up by using the same scorched earth rhetoric to respond to Donald's crude language. But I have to admit enjoying Comey's characterizations of the the man now occupying the White House... a bit like a dumpster fire it seems to me. How sad that our country has come to this. Forty percent of Americans seem fine with the fact we have a blowhard misogynist "leading" the free world. The Christian right should really be ashamed of itself.
123
What free world. And what a leader!
If the choice is between a cultivated image or exposing the truth about a morally unfit president, the choice seems abundantly clear. What man of integrity could sit back and allow a devious, and perhaps, deviant, president to obstruct justice and parade his peccadillos before the public in so blatant a manner?
Mr. Comey is to be commended for choosing the well-being of our venerable country before his reputation, or any personal vendetta. His reputation will survive intact and his legacy will be one of honor. This can not be said of our despicably inept and criminally-inclined president. History will not be kind to him.
1
I am no conspiracy buff, but I wonder who is bankrolling his attacks on Trump, besides the millions in book dough, someone else (like the Koch brothers buying conservative stooges) is putting out some money to this guy. An "upright, honest guy" doesn't just turn into a reality TV slimeball on a whim--dropping hints about Russian prostitutes, etc. etc. Someone is paying for this. If only to continue the constant, jibbering, lying diatribe of "he's not qualified..."
1
There is no surprise in the actions of Mr Comey. He became a tired political corpse the minute he decided to fight being fired . His conduct in the year prior to the election was not professional regardless of your political stance. To bad he didn't just pack his bags and get a job at Apple or Amazon. I am sorry his ego has driven him to this stance. The country doesn't need another public display of "hurt feelings."
3
Each of us gleans whatever supports what we already believe from the facts. Republicans, interviewed watching Comey's television interview, repeatedly characterized him as "weak." There were almost no positive comments. I see Comey as judicious, at times overly cautions and like a "boy scout". I see Trump as a name calling, arrogant, lying bully. His supporters see someone "strong" and "fighting for them."
This phenomenon is called "confirmation bias," finding data to support what you already believe.
The last time this was so stark for me was the day of the O.J.Simpson verdict, in a room filled with adults, half black, half white. When the verdict was read,
the blacks cheered. The whites gasped.
Politicians exploit confirmation bias. The challenge is for us as individuals and as a nation to monitor and address it.
3
This unwritten rule of silence has done more harm to the country then any benefit. You can see in its face, ridiculous decisions/position the lawmakers has taken yet they only descent when the respective lawmakers are no longer running for reelection or resigning.
It is refreshing to see someone speaking out as they shall all do.
1
Comey's image really was marred by the foolish way he handled his discussion of Clinton's email investigation. He will have to pay the price for that. And I am more than "mildly nauseated" by the possibility that his public handling of the Clinton investigation may have influenced the 2016 election. Who knows? His political mind influenced how he, as FBI Director, made public a highly/entirely political, not criminal, investigative process. He will forever suffer from the hubris behind his decisions in 2016.
1
"Comey is criticizing the president in personal ways that are unusual for a former F.B.I. director."
And Trump is criticizing in personal ways the FBI, DOJ, Congressmen, Citizens, Journalists, Gold Star Families, etc that are unusual (and unhinged) for a President.
2
Comey, relieved of his law man duties, is now a full fledged member of the private sector. With nothing to loose, why on earth should he hold back? It would be great if a few politicians took his lead and stepped out of their carefully crafted personas to tell the truth. It might take america towards great again.
1
A cultivated image is not the persona that will wake Americans up.
When two former top intelligence officials, Brennan and now Comey, ring the alarm, you'd better pay attention. They know more than they can tell.
3
Fortunately, Comey has realized what many of us elites haven't: to be understood by your enemy, speak in his vernacular. We don't (& shouldn't) live in a social, moral, or ethical vacuum.
2
I was floored last year when, just a week after leaving office, Comey leaked a story to the NY Times. That spoke volumes about his tenure with the FBI. These guys NEVER talk, and for him to run at the mouth the way he is tells me there needs to be a housecleaning at the bureau.
3
There is a big difference between exercising bad judgement at times and being a liar. While we are all clearly entitled to our own opinion about whether Comey made the right choices in his handling of the Clinton and Trump investigations in the period leading up to the 2016 election, there is no basis for believing he is a liar, and therefore his written and spoken word should be (and probably will be by Mueller) given considerable weight.
We can question the calls he made, but in his interviews over the last few days he has shown a willingness to accept criticism and consider other points of view.
Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with Comey making note of personal matters with respect to Trump's appearance, marriage, and habits. What else would you expect an investigator to do when taking the measure of a man. I take him at his word that his book editor told him to tell the reader his story through his eyes.
4
I see nothing petty about James Comey. He seems to be a man of integrety, well respected by his peers. Of course he is angry with trump. Aren't we all?
42
It should come as no surprise that James Comey believes he has a sea of moral authority to spare after he debases himself and the offices he held promoting his new book. And it's just that level of arrogance and hubris that got him to this point.
5
It's not Comey' reporting of the truth about trump , that he media should be uncomfortable with. It's trump and their own attempts to "normalize" him, so as not to alienate his "supporters. With its focus on the messenger, the sports ball like coverage of politics, and sidelining of difficult policy issues, the media has failed its obligation to the American public.
1
The media focused on Trump’s hands, hair and orange coloration. Comey was probably only confirming the fact that the media’s image of Trump was not false. Why the media is now focusing on these comments versus Comey’s compelling evaluation of the president’s moral compass and future voter responsibility in the matter gives me pause about it.
9
Recent political history is littered with scant-remembered names of those who chose to take the high road in challenging Trump. What I find appalling is that so many people shrug off Trump-being-Trump behavior yet find Comey so diminished for simply repeating several remarks or noticing a couple of obvious curiosities.
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in the Stars but In ourselves" implies Comey when he looks forward to the 2020 when we have the opportunity of ridding ourselves of this travesty.
10
One unaddressed Comey question continues to mystify. His late-October 2016 reopening of the Clinton e-mail inquiry was premised on the discovery of a trove of supposedly unexamined communications in an assistant’s computer. In fact, a speedy staff review of the materials revealed that the e-mails were either copies of previously seen conversations or were simply personal. Rather than rushing to announce — 11 days prior to the election — potentially damaging new evidence, why didn’t Comey first order his staff to conduct a preliminary review of the e-mails? Why the unseemly rush to judgment based on a false premise, one that could have been averted with some effort, and which wouldn’t have disrupted the election? Comey never explains this and I for one find it inexplicable even 1-1/2 years later.
2
Sorry, but this news isn’t fit to print.
In a time where the US President is a proven liar who surrounds himself with criminals and yes-men/women, it is remarkable that the Director of the FBI’s credibility is the one to be called into question when he decides to stand up and be counted as one of those who won’t silently sit by while this train wreck leads us to a bad place.
I for one am smart enough to parse out the salaciousness (the comments on skin color, hair length, hand size) from the more substantive pieces of information...namely that our worst fears about this President have been confirmed, again and again. This time, by the former FBI Director.
31
I see in Comey a public servant so appalled at what he saw in his private dealings with Trump that he feels obliged to report it out in its entirety, including the tawdry details.
4
Comey is not the Boy Scout he portrays. He interfered in a presidential election and then somehow is trying to explain it away. This man may have great moral fiber but his instincts seem to be questionable. Personally, I think Comey may have been a trump supporter. How else can you explain the obvious gaffe in his judgement. He reminds me of a Hal 9000 computer. Flawless until it makes one.
Those on the left (like myself) should be careful about jumping to defend Comey. Instead, we should take this as another lesson that the enemy of my enemy (Trump, in this case) is not necessarily my friend. People like Comey, Mueller, or even the so-called 'sane' people in the WH itself, like Kelly, have histories of advancing policies that harm people. Leaving aside some of the actions Comey took as FBI Director, his book does nothing but discredit him as a potential future witness against the President in an attempt to sell books and salvage his public image.
Not only does Comey not deserve our defense - we don't need to defend him. Trump's horrors do not require we posit that those who can make meaningful contributions to stop him are saints, or even good people. Let's not waste our time defending Comey's actions here, which aren't good. Not defending him does not mean we're validating the rectitude of Trump or his most aggressive spokespeople, like Sean Hannity. It means we're seekers of the truth rather than partisans.
2
Comey’s only “mistake” is that he’s been honest: about Trump, about the FBI, about himself, and any supposed “cultivated image” he has is a product of others’ imaginations.
Some apparently consider Comey’s confessional, and revelations on the danger our current president poses to democracy, as candor unbefitting of a former civil servant. But those of us who were alive closer to former episodes of fascism recognize that yes: the theater is on fire, and in some emergencies a surplus of honesty is impossible. Comey, in a different role, is still serving his country.
1
All this analysis about Comey's book and provocative public appearances and nothing said about the money he's getting and how that affects his behavior and his motives? He's going to be a rich man as a result of what's happened over the past year. That, in my mind, is a huge factor in Comey's actions.
This is America in the age of cashing in. Why expect this man to forego what so what many others grab for with both hands.
1
When both democrats and republicans take turns praising then vilifying someone like Comey I figure he’s pretty much right on the money.
I found his interview Sunday night on ABC to be concise, measured, non egotistical as well as acknowledging criticisms that have been lobbed his way.
If he bashed trump, and I don’t think he did, it’s only because that deplorable (thank you again Hillary) creature provides so much fodder. Even the 40% of his supporters really can’t question his immoral character though they may like what he’s doing.
1
I know it will help boost book sales but stooping to Mr Trump's level with some of the descriptions is beneath Mr Comey's character of integrity.
1
The press often makes things black or white, people's behaviour is more complex. Comey served this country with distinction for many many years. Everyone makes misteps which does not make them "bad" people. Take in the whole person and lifetime of service, and the strained place(s) he was in during the election. Trump has tried to trash him ( and many others ) publicly over and over, most of which have not stood up and or fought back against the power of the office of the president wields... My guess is history will redeem Comey and his ringing of the bell of alarm about this president.
3
Sacrificing a cultivated image? Who cares? When one is selling books, any publicity is good publicity. He's doing exactly what he intends: enriching himself by boosting book sales. In other words, another Trump-like sleazeball.
1
For James Comey to sacrifice his 'image' with the POSSIBLE result of goading the so-called president into more and more unsupportable behavior is, in my opinion, worth it. Elections are important and there's a very important one just ahead.
If that's what Comey's doing, OK by me.
2
"Cultivated image"? That evaporated when Comey decided to sell out and write a book about his own failure as the leader of the F.B.I. His own words have proven him to be a partisan hack, who looked to save his own skin in every decision he made as director. It was all about politics, all the time for Comey. Whatever happened to his oath of office, and putting the interests of the American people first and foremost?
1
In efforts for celebrity, everyone loses credibility. That Comey has either been persuaded to do this by his publisher, or by his own desire for revenge, matters not. The result is the same: Comey has lost years of respect hard-gained. Although some in the agency would say that since he was never an 'in the weeds agent', he never gained the same level of respect that others earned. This book seems to prove that notion. Without the personal jibes this book could have been so much better, and certainly more professional.
1
I learned a long time ago that hubris is self-defeating and never to burn your bridges. Personal attacks on adversaries, especially those based on your estimation of your own rectitude, ALWAYS come back to bite you.
Comey may be right about Trump and his morality, but publishing this book in the heat of the moment is not a useful addition to the current dialogue. There was not, at least that I can tell, a huge outcry for Comey to justify himself and his actions. He would have been better off staying silent and above the fray. Now he is being pulled back into the swamp.
1
Nobody seems to be a "fan" of Comey:
"Though I am no fan of James Comey."
Frankly, I believe Comey's "facts," but he told us all of them long ago (as he should have). I couldn't care less about his opinions, nor, I suspect, do many others.
If Comey's book adds no facts, and a prospective reader doesn't care about Comey's opinions, should that prospective reader bother to read his book?
1
Even if he doesn’t do much to “sway public opinion,” maybe he felt like he should at least try? That the president represents enough of a threat that sacrificing his FBI posture (especially now that he’s not there) is a worthwhile trade-off.
Not that I have a clue. Just watching from Canada.
1
How can/could an intelligent man like Mr. Comey tell us he did not think his revelation about Hillary Clinton 8 days before the election would not have any impact on the election. He consistently broke with FBS protocol and he forgot he was not a prosecutor, but instead an investigative officer. His lecturing of Hilliary Clinton in July 2016 proved that. The FBI's job is to investigate and not pass judgement, which is the job of the prosecutor.
That he talks about the size of his hands versus Trump's hands in his book brings him down to level of the man he criticizes, Trump.
“Upright, honest, decent,...” And then writes a highly critical book about his employer as soon as leaving office. Hardly the mark of a thoughtful man of character. What other senior public official has been so eager to trash the country’s duly elected President ? Why have so few Democrats or former FBI officials come to support Comey’s blistering attacks ? Could it be that he’s an embarrassment to the FBI ? And many of us ?
2
Comey has undermined his credibility, has complicated Mueller's case, and has distracted from Syria, Pruitt's destruction of the EPA, and so many other important things.
1
The Clinton email mountain/molehill debacle was a mistake on Comey's part. That said, this NYTimes article doesn't recognize that a viral foothold of antagonism and insult in the White House breeds the kind of backlash that Comey's book portrays. This book, though I will never read it, will be an historic documentation of a time when the White House was pulled down into a petty, unfocused swamp of cronyism and bad politics.
Calling Trump incompetent (or some variation on that term) is not a "personal attack." It's a simple, truthful statement of fact.
1
It doesn't disturb me at all:
" It ought to disturb us that [Comey] was able to rise to a position of leadership in the FBI."
Comey strikes me as just the sort of faceless bureaucrat I'd want to be in charge of an organization like the FBI.
If anything bothers me about Comey (and nothing really does, significantly), it would involve the hospital scene with John Ashcroft, which Comey recounted with great relish in his ABC interview (and, presumably, in his book). He stresses how surprised Dick Cheney was that Comey stood on principle, thus refusing to OK certain surveillance practices in which the federal government was then engaged. As I read Comey's account, I couldn't help but wonder:
"Why was Cheney so surprised that Comey acted on principle?"
I never liked Cheney, but I never thought of him as stupid or a poor judge of the many other human beings with whom he dealt. If Cheney was surprised that Comey acted on principle, is that because he'd expected Comey NOT to do that? If so, what made Cheney anticipate unprincipled behavior from Comey?
Does it really matter when you can cash out? Work for the Trump White House, quit or be fired, write a scathing book which becomes an instant best seller, count the millions coming in, and never have to work again. After all, what's the encore career for the ex-FBI director of the US?
"said Michael Steel, a Republican strategist who has been critical of Mr. Trump. “To the extent that the former director appears petty and anything less than high-minded, it diminishes the impact of his critique.”
Let's get real here.
First we tried sober acceptance of the results of the election.
Then he began hijacking every institution in sight and moving the goalposts of what is "petty" and civil out to previously unexplored regions for a sitting head of state.
Is Comey being petty when he calls Trump a "serial liar" and "unfit for the presidency"?
Or is he just telling the truth?
And recognizing that Trump has nothing but scorn for any civility?
Michael Steele, stop providing script material for Fox & Friends and Sean Hannity. Who will rev up the old hate manufacturing machine against Comey exactly the way they did it with Clinton.
And, in the words of Aristophanes, managed to make the (much more) weaker argument the stronger.
Michael, MSNBC won't fire you as a commentator "from the right" because you stand up and cheer James Comey as a truth teller, not as someone being petty in the drawing room.
Trump’s Attacks on Everyone May Hurt the Carefully Cultivated Image of the Presidency
Unfortunately, timing is not one of his strong points.
This is like the Navy seal who shot Bin Laden. Comey has behaved with dishonor. If he acts with so much self interest and disregard now one can only guess how he managed the FBI. I don't support Trump, but he was probably right to fire this guy.
Sorry, the Marquis de Queensbury rules went out the window during the last election. Democrats have made a habit of "playing nice" to Republican intransigence and lying for too long. It's past time for someone, with chutzpah, to lay things out in black and white...someone with "inside knowledge". Comey is that person and it's ironic that he is a Republican, himself. Even now, the Democrats are reluctant to get down and do the "dirty work" that needs to be done..
When a person with this amount of integrity makes statements such as these, then you know it’s time, or past time, to listen and do something.
I don’t know that his image is “cultivated,” which makes it sound as if it is something fake. Cultivated or not, he is a reserved person with integrity that has held his own under two presidents from two different parties other than Mr. Trump.
I agree with his view on impeachment. Following through on that would divide us more, but a rallying cry for democracy through an election would make a much stronger point.
We must acknowledge that James Comey made some very poor decisions during the final days of the last (very unusual) election cycle. This does not negate the fact that Comey has a distinguished career and history of upholding the rule of law and demonstrating civil and respectful behavior, neither of which are even comprehensible, much less meaningful to Donald Trump.
Keep on telling the truth Mr Comey, there are many of us listening. Don't let anyone stop you. You are a man of reason trying to protect what is left of our country's values. I appreciate what you are doing. Onward.
What, exactly, does Comey have to lose at this point? Isn't he in a good position to spew fire back at Trump?
Mr.Comey would have done us all a favor if he stayed aloof from the Trump debacle which is the OvalOffice. We need to believe that law enforcement is not political.With CIA,FBI,Justice Department and the press under constant criticism from Mr.Trump we need to know that these agencies are playing it straight.We need to know that they will not become entangled in contentious battles nor stumble into the limelight where they become the news.We need to see diligence to duty in contrast to the Trump chaos and belligerence.
1
There is one thing all would agree on. James Comey by his actions has upset both Democrats and Republicans. A sad twinkle of bipartisanship.
1
Comey's attacks may hurt his image but I don't blame him. Trump just accused him of committing crimes, as he's done with countless others. It gets repeated over and over and people believe it, there's no one refuting it because they're afraid to challenge the sitting president. It must be challenged. I'm disappointed that democratic congressional leaders are not challenging it every time it happens.
Why is it bad for Comey to speak the truth? He has a perspective we need to hear. I am not a big fan of his, but he has every right and reason to speak his mind. The trouble with this country right now is the fear of alienating Trump supporters. Why? Speak the truth and let the chips fall where they may. Comey has made reasonable conclusions based on his knowledge of the situation--and he knows a lot more than we know. Let him speak his mind.
James Comey did what he had to do, and I admire him much for having the courage to expose himself on behalf of his ethics and the truth.
What cultivated image would that be? As a man who continued to mistake public service for a political pulpit?
1
So weird that the "mainstream media" is falling all over itself to find fault with Comey, who by all reasonably objective accounts is a person of integrity with a multi decade record of dedicated public service. Somehow this fault-finding is more worthy of coverage than the content of his book.
In his self-serving book, Comey displays the same serious character flaws that led him to meddle in the election and help being down Clinton: an unexamined, unwarranted belief in his own innate moral rectitude, coupled with a profound need for public approval.
Incredible that Comey's catastrophic role in the election is now underplayed, even ignored in the media -- long articles about Comey don't even mention the most important actions he's ever taken. Just being fired by Trump shouldn't confer hero status on this man.
1
This piece is spot on
While I'm sure his re-telling of the facts regarding his meetings with Trump are accurate, Comey's unfortunate weakness appears to be a need to be in the spotlight and make it about HIM. I believe this at least in part explains his deciding to announce that Clinton would not be charged (instead of the Justice Department, which is protocol) and why he announced a week before the election that new evidence had been discovered. Both moves brought made Comedy the CENTERE OF ATTENTION.
And now he gets a big advance to write a tell all book and embarks on a massive media blitz (again, CENTER OF ATTENTION) and insults Trump with unbecoming Trumpian barbs (hands, orange skin, etc)?
A former FBI Director should be more like a Navy Seal. They never speak about their missions, never brag or call attention to themselves. It's all about country and selfless service and never about the individual Seal's ego or agenda.
1
Match a self-impressed, sanctimonious background to the halls of power, add stress and perceived persecution, plus a dash of fame and the opportunity to monetize, and the righteous can easily go off the rails into self-righteousness and petty snarkery (and thereby ironically lose their credibility and leverage). All too common a human frailty. Jim Comey walked smack into a door he himself had opened toward him.
1
I had 2 distinctly different views while watching Stephanopoulos’ interview with Mr. Comey:
* How far has our country SUNK when a former FBI Director talks about ties that are too long, the orange face, and small hands of a sitting President?
* How SATISFIED I was to hear a former top official of our country say that our sitting President is not morally fit to be President.
The world has turned upside-down; I am not sure what’s right and what’s wrong.
I am afraid and uncomfortable.
1
Suppose Clinton had won. I think it's a safe bet that she would have also wanted to fire Comey and she would have had legitimate reasons for doing so. However, by making those improper public statements regarding the Clinton investigation he had created a situation in which any move by Clinton to fire him would have been seen as vindictive and personal. He expected her to win and he was maneuvering to create a situation where she couldn't fire him or if she did he would look like a victim. He knew what he was doing. Trump isn't right about much, but when he called Comey a slimeball he was right on the money.
1
I don't think Trump should have fired Comey, but it doesn't amount to "obstruction of justice." Obviously it hasn't derailed the DOJ's collusion investigation, and that would have been true even if Mueller hadn't been appointed; a different internal FBI head would have continued on with it. If Trump had ordered the investigation to stop, one might reach a different conclusion, but he didn't.
1
Comey is a private citizen now and is entitled to speak freely- Trump loyalists would unlikely reject any criticism of their orange king no matter how discreetly dispensed.
I only wish he'd been more discreet as the director of the FBI and hadn't gone off the rails in his press conference concerning Hillary's e-mails.
His mandate was only to look for criminal behavior, not to do political editorial. That was beyond the pale and unprecedented.
1
Coney has managed to tick off both sides because he's told the truth about both. His timing with the email thing was pretty atrocious, but I find mishandling of digital messages a little less distressing than graft, mob tactics, and a wholesale attempt to burn the government to the ground, so I'm willing to give Comey his martyrdom merit badge back.
Comey's descriptions of Trump are not malicious. Describing his skin tone, long ties, and average size hands are simply accurate descriptions. I do not see the malice there. I think perhaps he believes that a writer usually describes the physical appearance of the subject.
Comey displays a clinical analysis of the President, without rancor or personal attack. Why all those who usually do attack the President personally are now attacking Comey is a mystery to me.
This public servant's viewpoint matters to me. I believe and respect him. Why is he expected to continue the silence he has maintained for thirty or more years as a FBI employee. He no longer works there. He is free to speak his mind.
All those critics so sure in hindsight that he acted wrongly should suit up and get in there and do what he did for his lifetime! Both candidates were being investigated. There was no policy in place for that circumstance. He did the best he could. I think he did the right thing. Hillary still won the popular vote!
Why do we all get to judge him, while the guy is supposed to report to us is allowed to do and say far worse, endangering us all?
I would vote for him in a heartbeat.
I personally believe that Comey has over-stepped his boundaries and he has affected both Dems and Republicans.....and all Americans for that matter. Lots of unsavory things have emanated from Comey and sort of reminds me of J. Edgar Hoover days..... I would hope that the Director act in a apolitical manner but that is not the case here.
On a personal note, I believe that Trump has done a pretty good job on the Economic and foreign affairs front.....but his crude behavior has lots to be desired. Don't get me started on the two previous Presidents....!!
3
Can you imagine our recent history if FBI directors who disagreed with their Presidents behaved like this? Whoever wins the next election needs to consider separating law enforcement from intelligence and reorganizing this agency.
2
The best way for Mr. Comey to claim the high moral ground would be to donate a substantial portion of his book's profits to an appropriate charity.
1
I know the paper likes to portray its "neutrality" in reporting the news but the time has come to recognize that we are in a war for our Country, for our Democracy. Comey is in the trenches, fighting the war. We need more honest and concerned individuals in this Country to stand up, join the war effort and lay out the truth that Donald Trump is unfit as a person, to lead. He has no knowledge or understanding of what has made America a great nation, and has demonstrated this on a daily basis. It isn't based on making a few more bucks or raising the level of daily concern based upon unsubstantiated rhetoric. It is about adopting a fair, informed and honest response to both foreign and domestic issues and trying to do the right thing when possible. Nothing Trump does is fair, honest ,or informed. This Country is in a war. The war is with ourselves and we are fighting to decide what kind of individual we want to lead us, who best represents to the world what we are like and what kind of a Country we want to be, what it means to be a free and Democratic people.
"May hurt a carefully cultivated image" It's gloves on for Mr Comey. Clearly, he isn't invested in being seen as an above-the-fray sort of person. His integrity was impugned, for all the world to see, by DJT. He was ready to trade blows.
Detractors may point to his book tour as being less than pure, as they do about the Obamas being paid large sums of money for speaking engagements. Every sentence Comey utters is parsed for intention and etiquette. We liberals have a habit of measuring everyone's actions against a ruler of perfect morality ... whatever that is!
I'm glad James Comey decided to Step Up, whatever the mixture of his motivations might be. He isn't cowed by Mr Trump and for this moment in time that's a healthy, refreshing, and needed response
Surprising and unfortunate that Mr. Comey does not remain objective in his descriptions of the president. I feel that he has come down to the level of Mr. Trump and loses credibility by doing so.
Where has Comey not been objective? Trump's skin IS orange, his ties ARE too long, and he DOES have white circles under his eyes. Even someone not trained to notice details would notice these abnormalities.
3
I don't think it's possible to come down to Trump's level. Like Trump, he'd have had to start as a child.
Hooray for Jim Comey, now a private citizen, for sharing with us his private interactions with and keen observations of Trump, providing yet more first person proof that this amoral, pseudo President is totally unfit for high office. His willingness to step forward and document Trump's corrupt, venal mindset stands in dramatic contrast to the vast majority of weak kneed Congressional Republicans, who stand by silent and cowered in the face of unprecedented and dangerous authoritarian conduct emanating from the White House.
Mr. Comey's book and media tour should be celebrated and applauded by all Americans who are profoundly disturbed by the assault on the country's civic values, principles, and norms by a criminally-bent, incompetent Administration. Where is Ryan's voice, McConnell's, Scalise's, McCarthy's, Cornyn's, Thune's, etc., etc.? Silence, Deafening Silence.
231
I agree...double hooray for Jim Comey. I am buying his book today. And, in fact, I agree with every statement made here and have, indeed, wondered what has happened to Ryan, McConnell, Scales, McCarthy, Cornyn, Thune, etc, etc, etc? Perhaps they all need to experience the humiliation that Mr. Comey must have felt in the unbelievable, mean-spirited and, yes, perhaps evil, way that he was fired--only learning of it as he was making a speech across the country. Add *coward* to the descriptions of Trump we are being bombarded with from all sources. There truly are no words to relay the danger of Trump as he lumbers his way through each day and night like an angry bully. As a nation, let's dare to be brave and powerful. Get rid of Trump.
Mr. Comey's "carefully cultivated image" does not interest me. What interests me is the truth. I know I won't get it from Mr. Trump. I may get it from Mr. Comey, even if it comes with some personal remarks about Trump that were better left unsaid.
1
Longer memories seem to be recalling that Comey was blamed for Hillary Clinton's loss, eroding Comey's support from Trump's critics. Needless to say, Trump supporters don't like Comey either. So he's left without support from either base.
Nevertheless, most Americans believe Comey is telling the truth. I do. I won't buy (or read) his book for three other reasons: (1) I'm cheap; (2) I have limited time, and many other things to read; and (3) Comey hasn't added any facts, or so the reviewers say. I'd be interested in additional facts, but I have no interest whatsoever in Comey's opinions.
Comey has had to face some dilemmas, and some of his choices have been controversial. In this imbroglio, he can either respond in kind to Trump's ad hominem attacks, thereby refuting them in stark terms, or he can ignore them and roll over. The latter may be more dignified, but dignity isn't a remedy to Donald Trump. I'm happy to see Mr. Comey rip into the President because the rest of the GOP certainly doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to do so. Silence is complicity, and I've seen enough of that already. The court of public opinion will be the final arbiter of the character of these two men. My decision was an easy one.
I don't think Comey is helping himself or the anti-Trump situation by writing this book or doing the interviews. He has a story to tell, and I would rather he had written about the mission of the FBI and its work.
Comey comes across as thoughtful and reflective. Just because the observations are negative, does not make them attacks.
1
Someone has been ‘cultivating’ and is now ‘cultivated’ is how I read this. James Comey appears to be truthful because he is flawed is how I see it. Mister Trump refuses to admit he is flawed and is entirely untruthful is how I read and see the president. We are down to semantics which is not where we should entirely be, which is not where we should be as citizens/individuals or as a nation. Just the facts, please, and that will do. Or as Howard Cossell used to tout in attempting to always be truthful: “Tell it like it is.” Leave room for the truth in discourse and it will appear. Make demanding it part of the conversation. A nation will be grateful.
Trump's behavior and violations of law demand speaking outside the norm. The conventional approach to an elected President do not apply.
When a foreign aggressor inserts itself into an American election on a wide-scale to help elect a candidate to serve its foreign policy agenda, every American should be alarmed and support the rule of law unreservedly.
Trump has now fired the former Director of the FBI James Comey, and the former Deputy Director of the FBI Andrew McCabe, who were both leading an investigation into Russia's influence in the 2016 American Presidential election that elected Trump despite the popular will of the electorate.
To suggest James Comey is somehow breaking protocol when dealing with this existential threat to the nation and western democracy itself, betrays a profound misunderstanding of the FBI's duty to protect the American public, along with every other American intelligence bureau.
There is no equivalence between Comey's honest professional mistakes and Trump's lifetime of dishonest malfeasance, illegality and corruption.
The more important question here is whether or not Mr. Comey will be investigated and prosecuted (should the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth become known)? It seems that so many people are just coasting along when past actions more than appear seriously questionable.
1
While his decisions were flawed, the ramifications of Mr. Comey's actions during and after the 2016 election just go to show that neither candidate was ideal for the presidency. Both were being investigated. Unfortunately, we ended up with the worst one, but can one really blame history's turn on one man? There was and still is a divisive tide churning in the country. Hopefully, after the awful debacle of this administration, our country's voters will have learned that truth, decency, and morale are key characteristics for the POTUS. Let's hope 2018, and further down the line, 2020 bring a new slate for our wobbly democracy
1
interesting that although the president of the united states fired the FBI director and then proceeded to continue to hurl derogatory remarks about him and at him, it's the former FBI director being called into question for firing back.
is it because mr. comey is calm and measured in his remarks while the POTUS is using rhetoric filled with overflowing emotion and vengeance, while exhibiting NO THOUGHT AT ALL?
1
I suggest that all Americans read Comey's book and form their own opinions rather than listen to an endless stream of comments from reporters and "pundits" , each with their own ax to grind. Downloaded the book early this morning and find it fascinating. Comey seems to be a complicated man who has been both a witness to and participant in many legally significant events in this country for many years. He is not a journalist or commentator relaying gossip from unnamed "sources." Comey speaks about what he has seen himself.
1
Yours is the first sensible comment I've read in this thread! I bought Comey's book and look forward to reading it.
Given that Mr. Comey's accounts of Trump's antics are so much more reliable than Trump's own could possibly be, I do find it a little sad that his self-promoting, ongoing and past, may have eroded some of the American public's confidence in him. I understand why he has prioritized his role as a writer who stands to gain fame and fortune out of his book, but in view of his much more important role as a firsthand reporter of some of Trump's worst actions, his primary goal should have been to earn the confidence of those skeptical of him and perhaps be more coldly objective, less alienating, in the way he speaks of Trump. Mr. Comey could have taken a more foot-in-the-door approach in unleashing his full (and, in my opinion, valuable) judgment.
Then again, in the current climate, I am not sure he could have done all that much more to earn the trust of the 40% of Americans whose refusal to accept the less flattering truths about Trump has already overcome seemingly endless crises.
Unfortunately, it's probable Mr. Comey is never going to enjoy the fruits of his cultivated image. The potential voting discord his pre-election HRC email actions caused may never be forgiven. He'll forever be lodged in a no-win zone, so he might as well speak his mind, is my take. That we learn he has a larger propensity for pettiness than previously displayed may indeed hurt his image, but it allows observers to maybe understand the motives for previous or future actions.
I'm still trying to figure out why he feels it's better to let Trump continue his MAGA destruction for 2.75 years rather than shooting for immediate removal. That voting him out is cleaner for the American conscience seems an odd way to defend American values that are currently under attack, led by a man he deems morally bankrupt.
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Why is so much time and effort being devoted to judging Comey's "image" instead of to evaluating if the facts reported in his book are true or false and whether the the substance of his judgments hold up? Doing anything else falls into the traps laid for us by Trump, Hannity and the rest. On this score, what counts is the truth. Comey's "purity" matters not at all, except perhaps to him.
I have no problem with Mr. Comey telling his story and exposing the truth about Trump. To say that he should have kept quiet about his experiences is to deny him his First Amendment rights, and saying that he should not have included details of Trump's physical appearance is nitpicking. He is a private citizen now, thanks to Trump's humiliating firing, and after months of taunting by Trump, Comey deserves the opportunity to respond, and to expose the man in the White House for the unworthy leader he is.
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I think what we should remember is that Mr. Comey is no longer with the FBI. He is now a private citizen. He is not bound to conducting his opinions as an FBI Director. Considering how he has been attacked for months by trump, why would he restrain his opinion. In all interviews thus far, I think he has conducted himself with class and decorum.
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However, Trump has just razzed him so much that he had to really answer back. If he had just kept quiet many people would have believed Trump - 'if you tell them they will believe it' is his maxim.
Mr. Comey has given his perspective - both in his book and in an extensive interview. It is now time for him to stop further comment so as not to give the appearance of an unseemly, angry former Director of the FBI.
It is done, it's over and we await what Special Counsel Robert Mueller has to say.
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The physical description is in accordance with a trained investigator noting the physical description of a posible perp.
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Comey made a huge mistake ten days before the election. The way he’s speaking now is refreshing even if motivated by guilt.
I think he is showing us his true colors while he is selling this book.
To me he is making it crystal clear that he did interfere in the election to make sure the GOP side won at least twice. Three times if you count his not revealing the investigation into El Trumpo and his Russian connections.
Of those three things only the one he did not reveal was important for the American people to be aware of before the election.
Try to remember who this guy was before El Trumpo came along to make him look better only by comparison.
This is the guy who thinks we have no right to privacy. He's another J Edgar Hoover, if you didn't know that guy was bad for the country.
How ridiculous. Hoover was Hoover, and James Comey is a big Boy Scout who made some dumb decisions, but isn't a liar.
The ethical failings of the two presidential candidates put Comey in a no-win situation in the lead-up to the 2016 elections. So while I disagree with the way he handled them, he'd get just as much criticism if he'd done things differently. That said, I don't think that stooping to Trump's level befits him, or his ability to speak up and influence public opinion. And since he's sure to be a central figure in whatever comes out of the Mueller investigation, I don't see how slinging mud or expressing his political opinions will make him a credible witness, for or against the Prez.
Obvious there is a major major push to impeach Trump. My personal opinion is, let Mueller do his thing, and bring forth if he can, an impeachable offense. Both Comey and Hillary were canned via different modes, get over it. Does Comey simply want his old job re-instated ?
The James Comey of the past week sounds like any one of the 16 Republican candidates for the GOP nomination during the 2016 primaries who were overwhelmed by an inexperienced politician who would win the White House. Comey has channeled L'il Marco Rubio and "low energy" Jeb Bush as they sought to grapple with a back alley brawler during the debates.
Rubio and Bush came off rather poorly against the businessman and now Comey has fallen into the same trap by playing the president's game. Comey's mudslinging and petty attacks on a well known flawed public figure does him no credit. The FBI's image is supposed to be better than that.
"To the extent that the former director . . ."
You can't be serious. Compared to Trump virtually every person on the planet is Snow White. And there's nothing in Comey's remarks that had not been painfully apparently long before Trump took the republican nomination. The people who refused to vote for HRC for being a "criminal" voted instead for the modern equivalent of John Gotti.
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Yes, I think James Comey wound up throwing the election to Trump, whether or not he meant to. However, I also agree with him in his assessment of this questionable president's immorality and competence. Far greater men who have held the office could not get away with 1% of what Trump is sliding on. As a Democrat, I am certainly not "in love" with James Comey, but I do believe he is an individual who tries to be truthful and means well even when he makes grievous and enduring mistakes, the worst of which put Trump in office. I am glad that Comey called out Trump using specifics about his behavior and attitudes. His assessments are certainly light years ahead of the playground insults at Trump hurls daily at mostly undeserving people. What childishness! How does this petulance align with the gravity and responsibilities of being the leader of the free world? Certainly, Comey's appearance with George Stephanopoulos, if not the book that inspired it, will blow another hole in the sinking ship of Trump and the Republican Party. That ship can't sink fast enough for me - and for the good of our country.
There's nothing new about Trump's public persona, so many years in the media and blasting away on Twitter since running for president.
However, Comey has always had the cloak of deep-government backroom secrecy to protect him, and, of course, his nauseatingly self-serving interviews with 60 Minutes and ABC, most recently.
What Comey has simply proved is that there is nothing holy about the FBI or its directors, i.e., they can be as deeply flawed and political as the any who might fill the swamp.
In short, he can be as venal (yield to Lynch on "the matter) and visceral (his hatred of Trump) as the rest of us.
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Whatever you might think of James Comey's colorful descriptions and criticisms of Donald Trump, there is simply no comparison between them and the abuse that Mr. Trump has spewed upon Mr. Comey.
While that may not count as justification, I feel Mr. Comey has earned a pass.
There is also no comparison to the multitude of "Mulligans" that have been offered to Mr. Trump.
In watching some of Comey's book tour tape and reading press accounts, I was struck by this change in public demeanor. Are Comey's handlers (and editor) coaching him to sell more books? Is Comey's cultivated image simply not who he is? Is it an inflated ego? Or did he finally hit his breaking point? We all have one.
How is it that James Comey openly and honestly describing in his book his impressions of Trump construed as an attack? Who amongst us does not size up other people? Many of us just wouldn't admit out loud what we're thinking. James Comey did. So what? He's somehow less because he noticed orange skin?
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I'm not a great fan of Comey's but I think someone needs to say that Trump's moral and ethical sense is nonexistent. So thank you Comey. It's time to stop dancing around what is so obviously wrong. When we look back in time what Comey has said will be only a tiny portion of the filth that is Trump and everything and every person who excused him or pretended that they could contain him.
Comey may be taking “potshots” at Trump that alarm the inside the beltway crowd but from my perspective in the American West, he sounds spot-on. Under Trump, it has been so unusual to hear someone speak with honesty and integrity that we might have forgotten what the language of honesty and integrity sounds like. Comey has earned the right to speak out, to holler and hiss at Trump, in any way he wants. Let him have his couple of weeks of ultra-fame.
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Comey has shown himself to be like so many other D.C. swamp dwellers, far removed from what actually makes this Country great, and simply unable to keep up the thin facade that covers their basic venality. They mean, not to serve - but to rule. And they will stop at nothing to achieve their ends. And you folks thought Nixon was corrupt. Childs play, I'm comparison.
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What about the insanity we are dealing with our democratically unelected POTUS? While Comey certainly helped trump win and wanted him to win. Proof? Never mentioned FBI investigating trump. However portraying him as someone who should be silenced now about what trump is, is not helpful to our discourse now. The world is watching this play out, and now, more than ever it is important they see truth, albeit from a flawed man.
Comey will discover his irrelevance in history when the media is done with his part in the Trump Dog and Pony Show. The only thing he will be remembered for is his role in leaking material that he had no legal right to do and for lying to congress under oath. He took a great and somewhat storied career and let himself get caught up in the stardom of the bureau directorship. Pity and irrelevance are the only words left for him.
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Its very important that powerful government figures not be silent and that they speak out. Too many are being silent. Although Comey is a flawed tragic figure I'm extremely appreciative of his outspokenness here. So I'd like to hear less hand wringing about his image. This is too important for those concerns to hold sway.
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The author is correct in making this statement. But he also should consider that Comey felt so strongly about Trump's ability to be president that he was willing to go to the extent that he has. I tend to think of it that way. Though I am no fan of James Comey.
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In more normal times Comey's judgement and behavior, with respect to his handling of announcements (or not) of ongoing FBI investigations would surely have been castigated by anyone whop takes seriously the responsibilities of those in high office. Publishing the book is just more noise and the media and his back account will love it. However, these unfortunately are not normal times and any comparison of Comey's behavior and Trump's defines false equivalency!!! Comey's candid description of President Trump suitability for office was accurate and uncomfortable!
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"bank account", damned computer!
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How is James Comey's cultivated image newsworthy?
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That is a great question. The "news" these days is not exactly that, especially on the very biased cable TV and radio shows. There is cheerleading everywhere, and the NYT has not only done that with Comey to the full extent possible (up to now, dragged kicking and screaming), but takes the other side with Trump himself as cheerleaders in chief for everything and everyone VS Trump.
Why am I even bothering to look for ANY news that's fit to print? Where is the news?
At least it's slightly more interesting than Melania's shoe choice no?
How is Donald Trump held in such high regard from you GOP followers with all these daily scandals coming out and bullying nonsense. Sad
I am not a fan of Donald Trump, but firing James Comey was the right thing to do. Comey has repeatedly shown an amazing lack of judgment. It ought to disturb us that he was able to rise to a position of leadership in the FBI. We ought to be questioning an agency culture that rewards people like this.
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I'm sure there are many people who feel that firing Comey was the right thing for Trump to do, that Comey has erred in judgment, and so on. Let's not take our eyes off the central issues, however: Trump said on tv that he fired Trump because of the Russia investigation. That's abuse of power and obstruction of justice. Is there anything else about this that matters?
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What we ought to be questioning is an antiquated election system that can allow someone like Trump to have been elected with a minority of votes.
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For me, what is most revealing about Comey's revelations is his seeing many parallels between Trump's White House and the mob bosses Comey prosecuted years ago: the same values of loyalty to the boss, not to anything else, including the truth, or the law. Trump is a mob boss and his followers are his gang of looters--literally in the case of Pruitt, Zinke, et al, ripping off public lands.
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