Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 13 april 2018
In new book, Comey blasts untruthful, 'ego-driven' Trump

By CHAD DAY and JONA- the campaign and repeat-
THAN LEMIRE edly said Clinton should be
WASHINGTON (AP) — For- jailed for using a personal
mer FBI Director James email system while serving
Comey blasts President as secretary of state. Dem-
Donald Trump as unethical ocrats, on the other hand,
and "untethered to truth" in have accused Comey of
a sharply critical new book politicizing the investiga-
that describes Trump as fix- tion, and Clinton herself has
ated in the early days of his said it hurt her election pros-
administration on having pects. Comey writes that
the FBI debunk salacious he regrets his approach
rumors he insisted were un- and some of the word-
true but could distress his ing he used in his July 2016
wife. press conference in which
In the forthcoming book, he announced the deci-
Comey compares Trump sion not to prosecute Clin-
to a mafia don and calls his ton. But he says he believes
leadership of the country he did the right thing by
"ego driven and about per- going before the cameras
sonal loyalty." and making his statement,
He also reveals new de- noting that the Justice De-
tails about his interactions partment had done so in
with Trump and his own In this June 8, 2017 file photo, former FBI director James Comey speaks during a Senate Intelli- other high profile cases.
decision-making in han- gence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Every person on the investi-
dling the Hillary Clinton Associated Press gative team, Comey writes,
email investigation before found that there was no
the 2016 election. He casts Comey describes Trump Mueller as special counsel fire Deputy Attorney Gen- prosecutable case against
Trump as a mobster-like fig- repeatedly asking him to overseeing the Russia in- eral Rod Rosenstein, who Clinton and that the FBI
ure who sought to blur the consider investigating an vestigation. Mueller's probe appointed Mueller, or try to didn't find that she lied un-
line between law enforce- allegation involving Trump has expanded to include shut down the probe on his der its questioning.
ment and politics and tried and Russian prostitutes whether Trump obstructed own. The Republican Na- He also reveals new details
to pressure him personally urinating on a bed in a justice by firing Comey, tional Committee is poised about how the government
regarding his investigation Moscow hotel, in order to which the president denies. to lead the pushback effort had unverified classified in-
into Russian election inter- prove it was a lie. Trump Trump has assailed Comey against Comey by launch- formation that he believes
ference. The book adheres has strongly denied the as a "showboat" and a "liar." ing a website and supply- could have been used to
closely to Comey's public allegation, and Comey Comey's account lands at ing surrogates with talking cast doubt on Attorney
testimony and written state- General Loretta Lynch's in-
ments about his contacts dependence in the Clinton
with Trump and his growing probe. While Comey does
concern about Trump's in- not outline the details of
tegrity. It also includes strik- the information — and says
ingly personal jabs at Trump he didn't see indications of
that appear sure to irritate Lynch inappropriately in-
the president. fluencing the investigation
The 6-foot-8 Comey de- — he says it worried him
scribes Trump as shorter that the material could be
than he expected with a used to attack the integrity
"too long" tie and "bright of the probe and the FBI's
white half-moons" under independence. Comey's
his eyes that he suggests book will be heavily scru-
came from tanning gog- tinized by the president's
gles. He also says he made legal team looking for any
a conscious effort to check inconsistencies between it
the president's hand size, and his public testimony,
saying it was "smaller than under oath, before Con-
mine but did not seem un- gress. They will be looking
usually so." to impeach Comey's cred-
The book, "A Higher Loy- ibility as a key witness in
alty," is to be released next President Donald Trump speaks during an event on tax policy in the Rose Garden of the White Mueller's obstruction inves-
week. The Associated Press House, Thursday, April 12, 2018, in Washington. tigation, which the presi-
purchased a copy this Associated Press dent has cast as a political
week. motivated witch hunt.
"Donald Trump's presi- The former FBI director
dency threatens much of says that it appeared the a particularly sensitive mo- points that question his provides new details of his
what is good in this nation," president wanted it investi- ment for Trump and the credibility. firing. He writes that then-
Comey writes, calling the gated to reassure his wife, White House. Officials there Trump has said he fired Homeland Security Sec-
administration a "forest fire" Melania Trump. Trump fired describe the president as Comey because of his retary John Kelly — now
that can't be contained by Comey in May 2017, setting enraged over a recent FBI handling of the FBI's inves- Trump's chief of staff — of-
ethical leaders within the off a scramble at the Jus- raid of his personal lawyer's tigation into Clinton's email fered to quit out of disgust
government. tice Department that led to home and office, raising practices. Trump used the at how Comey was dis-
On a more-personal level, the appointment of Robert the prospect that he could investigation as a cudgel in missed. q