Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

James Comey's Book Paints Trump as an Unethical Liar and Donald Trump Just Responded

James Comey's Book Paints Trump as an Unethical Liar and Donald Trump Just Responded
US President Donald Trump attends a meeting with governors and members of Congress on agriculture at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 12, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / NICHOLAS KAMM (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

On Thursday, copies of James Comey’s upcoming memoir 'A Higher Loyalty' were leaked to the press. In the book, Comey compares Trump to a mob boss, and says that Trump’s behavior and personal manner gave him flashbacks to his tenure as a Manhattan prosecutor going after the mafia. Comey also wrote that Trump’s propensity for lying rendered him “untethered by truth.”

In response, President Donald Trump began his Friday with a stunning tweetstorm against Comey, whom the president assailed as "a proven liar and leaker" and "untruthful slimeball."


In the first of two tweets, Trump accused Comey of leaking classified information and lying to Congress under oath.

Sixteen minutes later, Trump said Comey was "a terrible director of the FBI." He then referred to Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email fiasco as one of the "worst 'botch jobs' of history," and that "it was my great honor to fire James Comey!"

Reactions on Twitter were swift and fierce.

It is widely believed that Comey handed the presidency to Trump when he announced the reopening of the email probe shortly before the 2016 election, which means the 45th president is antagonizing, if not slandering the man whose actions put him in office.

The book's account of Trump's level of dishonesty as president is remarkable. Notably, Comey recalled an instance in January 2017, when Trump asked Comey for personal loyalty.

I had never seen anything like it in the Oval Office. As I found myself thrust into the Trump orbit, I once again was having flashbacks to my earlier career as a prosecutor against the Mob.

The silent circle of assent. The boss in complete control. The loyalty oaths. The us-versus-them worldview.

The lying about all things, large and small, in service to some code of loyalty that put the organization above morality and the truth.

To my mind, the demand was like Sammy the Bull's Cosa Nostra induction ceremony — with Trump in the role of the family boss, asking me if I have what it takes to be a 'made man.'

A Higher Loyalty contains additional accounts of what Comey details as mob boss-like behavior by the then president-elect and his inner circle, specifically when Trump was informed of the Russian plot to hijack the election and install Trump as president.

Holy crap, they are trying to make each of us an 'amica nostra' - a friend of ours. To draw us in.

As crazy as it sounds, I suddenly had the feeling that, in the blink of an eye, the president-elect was trying to make us all part of the same family.

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership is scheduled for release next Tuesday.

This upcoming Sunday, ABC News will air a one-hour-long segment of a five-hour interview between Comey and George Stephanopoulos on 20/20.

Efforts to undermine the former FBI Director have expanded beyond the president and Fox News pundits. Earlier this week, the Republican National Committee launched a website, lyincomey.com, which seeks to malign and discredit Comey.

Perhaps the most stunning aspect of the Trump-Comey spat is the GOP's total embrace of and complete descent into Trumpism. This is particularly vexing when considering the president's rapidly escalating political and personal legal woes. On Monday, the FBI raided the homes and office of Michael Cohen, Trump's long-time personal attorney, and self-described "right hand."

Last night, NBC News reported that talks between Mueller and Trump's legal team have broken down and that the special counsel's office plans on proceeding without an interview with the president. Special Counsel Robert Mueller appears to be ready to announce his findings and recommendations in the ongoing investigation of possible obstruction of justice by the president.

Three sources familiar with the investigation said the findings Mueller has collected on Trump’s attempts to obstruct justice include: His intent to fire former FBI Director James Comey; his role in the crafting of a misleading public statement on the nature of a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his son and Russians; Trump’s dangling of pardons before grand jury witnesses who might testify against him; and pressuring Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

More from People/donald-trump

Rory McIlroy
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Golf Star Rory McIlroy Slams 'Abusive' American Fans After Ryder Cup Matches In New York

The Bethpage Black Golf Course in Old Bethpage, New York, hosted the Ryder Cup over the weekend. MAGA Republican President Donald Trump was in attendance with his granddaughter Kai.

Twelve top players from the States faced off against twelve top players from Europe.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sean Penn; Charlie Kirk
Karwai Tang/WireImage; Benjamin Hanson/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Sean Penn Sparks Heated Debate After Explaining Why He Thinks We 'Need' People Like Charlie Kirk In Politics

Academy Award-winning actor Sean Penn stirred controversy after he told the New York Times that we "need" people like the late far-right activist Charlie Kirk in politics despite disagreeing with "almost everything" Kirk believed in.

Kirk was assassinated earlier this month while speaking at a university in Utah; the suspect was caught after a two-day manhunt and has since been charged.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ariana Grande; Donald Trump
Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Ariana Grande Slams Trump With Blistering Question For Everyone Who Voted For Him

Wicked star Ariana Grande criticized President Donald Trump by posing a blunt question on Instagram for his supporters now that Trump has been in office for 250 days and counting.

Grande has been a consistently vocal advocate for social justice for many years and she circulated a post from podcaster Matt Bernstein calling out Trump supporters now that, among other things, Trump's immigration crackdown is in full swing and the government is threatening free speech rights.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Ripped After Gloating About How Golden Oval Office Makes World Leaders 'Freak Out'

President Donald Trump is known for his gaudy taste in decor and now he has people rolling their eyes after he claimed that all of the gold decorations in the Oval Office actually makes visitors "freak out" due to its "quality and beauty."

The Oval Office has been significantly revamped since Trump took office in January—it features, among other things, fireplace adorned with gold cherubs and medallions, surrounded by portraits of American statesmen in ornate gold frames and shelves filled with gilded figurines, urns, and freshly installed Rococo mirrors.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man and a woman resting their heads on one another staring into the distance.
man and woman standing on brown field during daytime

People Reveal The Seemingly Insignificant Gestures That Showed Them How Much Their Partner Cares

It's always nice when our partner makes a grand gesture to show how much they love and care about us.

Be it a surprise romantic getaway, a nice dinner out, or a gift they knew we'd been eyeing, what touches us the most is knowing they did this to show how much we mean to them.

Keep ReadingShow less