James Comey’s Book, Coming Out In Spring, Is Called ‘A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies And Leadership’
James Comey’s book, which is coming out next spring, is titled A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership, according to Axios.
The title appears striking in that it probably refers to the infamous meeting between former FBI Director Comey and Donald Trump on January 27, 2017, a week after Trump’s inauguration, when the president had demanded loyalty of his then FBI chief.
“I need loyalty, I expect loyalty,” Trump told Comey, according to the statement Comey gave to the Senate in June, a month after he was fired by Trump for refusing to stop the investigation into Trump campaign’s link with Russia.
Apart from the loyalty pledge, Trump had also asked Comey to end the investigation into Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser, according to Comey’s statement.
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go,” Trump had said in February.
However, after it was made clear by Comey that he would not direct the FBI to abandon its investigations into Trump-Russia links, it appears the president realized that there was no other way to stop Comey than to fire him. Even after reported pressure from Trump on Comey through Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and NSA Director Michael Rogers, Comey refused to stop the probe, although he reassured Trump that the bureau was not investigating him personally, as reported by the Washington Post. Finally, Trump fired Comey on the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is also the one who appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate into Trump-Russia collusion.
Lordy I hope there are pictures. https://t.co/7mkLLskVu8
— James Comey (@Comey) November 2, 2017
The events surrounding the day that Comey was fired are also amusing. Rod Rosenstein and Attorney General Jeff Sessions wrote letters to Trump, asking him to get a “fresh start” without Comey. Rosenstein mentioned how Comey’s handling of Clinton emails was “a textbook example of what federal prosecutors and agents are taught not to do.” Trump then sent a letter to Comey, firing him immediately. The director was informed of this decision while speaking in front of his colleagues, and he thought it was a prank.
And now all of that and more of James Comey’s experiences jostling in the corridors of power during the last two decades will be documented in the book A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership, which is expected to be out next spring, reports the Guardian. It will be published by Flatiron Books and edited by Colin Dickerman, its editorial director, reports the New York Times.
The pandemonium prevailing at the White House might have led to a severe crisis for the Donald Trump administration by the time James Comey’s book comes out, but people will be waiting with bated breath for just what it will reveal about some of the most dramatic events in Washington politics for generations.
[Featured Image by Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images]
