A Higher Loyalty

This book by former FBI Director James Comey received much hype. It was officially released on Tuesday, April 17, 2018. Excerpts and advanced copies began trickling out the previous Thursday and Friday. James Comey was also interviewed at length on Sunday the 15th. Of course, the news accounts and interview concentrated on the more salacious and sensational sections and quotes from the book. Especially those relating to President Trump. For all the pundits saying the book included/leaked classified information, I'll point out that it was submitted to the FBI for review prior to publication. 

This is my review of the book. I read the whole thing, not just the juicy parts. I am always amazed at how many pundits and talking heads are quick to criticise or praise a book based entirely on a single passage or two. Often they admittedly have not read the book and even brag that they will not read it. 

The preface concentrates on Comey's view of ethics and comes off a little preachy. My main take on the introduction is his disdain for the toxic partisanship of Washington, Congress in particular. 

This is an autobiography and not simply an account of his dealings with Trump. Although not strictly chronological, the book basically starts in Comey's youth and proceeds through school and his career. From grocery store stock boy through college, clerking, private law, US Attorney office stints, Deputy Attorney General, private law again, and finally FBI Director. He does harken back to defining events in his youth when discussing events in his professional life. 

Comey and his younger brother endured a home invasion by who was thought to be a serial rapist. Noone wound up physically hurt but it was obviously a traumatic experience. He was a self-admitted nerd in high school. Despite his height, he did not play basketball or other sports. He says he was bullied but when he got to college (William & Mary) he joined a group that bullied an outsider. One of his youth mentors and examples was a grocery store manager when Comey was a stock boy. He referred back to him several times.

After law school and a brief stint at a law firm, Comey went to work at the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York office. Rudy Guiliani was the US Attorney. Comey is not complimentary of Guiliani or his dictatorial and ego-driven management style. Comey worked on some Mafia cases while there. 

He next went to the Virginia US Attorney's Office. It was then back to New York as the US Attorney. While there the Martha Stewart case was prosecuted. He next went to Washington as the Deputy Attorney General to Attorney General John Ashcroft, appointed by George W. Bush. During that stint, he was involved with the Scooter Libby case, the NSA illegal spying crisis, the Abu Ghraib prison incident, and the waterboarding issue. He butted heads with Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice and other White House hardliners who were in favor of illegal spying and torture. 

After a returning to private practice for a few years, he was tapped by Barack Obama to head the FBI. Of course, we are familiar with some of the big cases during his tenure. Those include the Ferguson, MO. police shooting, the iPhone data encryption issues, and of course the Clinton email fiasco. 

Based on Comey's view and account of the Clinton email case, the FBI and he were put into an untenable situation. Investigating a presidential candidate in an election year is tricky. The Bureau doesn't want to influence the election, yet they also don't want crimes and criminals to get off the hook. Contrary to popular opinion, there are no special rules or policies about conducting investigations during an election year. There are some unwritten precedents that they try not to influence an election. I won't recount that whole mess, but Comey says in retrospect he would not substantially change his handling of the situation. He contends that the Department of Justice and Attorney General Loretta Lynch abdicated their involvement in the investigation. The fact that he pissed off first the Republicans and then the Democrats should be an indication that although you may not agree with him it is hard to complain about bias.  

Then we come to Trump's election and the beginning of the end for Comey. They first met before the inauguration. Comey was part of the intelligence briefing at Trump Tower about Russian interference in the election and then afterward in a meeting with just the two of them, disclosed the Steele dossier. During the initial intelligence briefing, Trump was mainly concerned that there was no evidence that Russia had an effect on the vote. Then his team began planning for a press release. 

For the most part, the details in the book match what has been reported by other sources. There were no big surprises although there were some additional detail plus the thinking behind the decisions. 

Overall I enjoyed the book. I found it an easy read. Although many of the events in the book are well known and documented, the view from an insider is helpful. As is the case in most autobiographies, the author, Comey in this case, comes off somewhat better and more altruistic than his adversaries. I would bet that he is not quite as altruistic as depicted and some he butted heads with are not quite as bad.    

I doubt that in our fractured and partisan times that many people will change their views and beliefs about Comey, Trump, Clinton or any of the other characters or events in the book. One thing I can say with certainty. You will not get a good sense of the book by listening to the talking heads on TV from either side of the political spectrum. 

I recommend giving it a read and making up your own mind. 

wjh