The FBI, loyalty and Trump

THE tone is dry, the language is clear – but make no mistake: The prepared remarks of James Comey, the former FBI director, which the Senate released in advance of his sworn testimony before the Intelligence Committee due late yesterday, tell a shocking story.

Starting days after the inauguration and continuing until mid-April, President Donald Trump made multiple attempts to secure Comey’s loyalty and to interfere with the FBI’s investigations into contacts between Trump’s top associates and the Russian government.

On Wednesday, Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, refused to answer questions in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee about whether Trump had pushed him to have Comey curtail the investigation of Flynn, as had been reported.

It’s hard to see how this ends well for the administration.

Trump is trying to deflect attention from Comey’s impending testimony.

On Wednesday, he announced that Christopher Wray was his pick for FBI director, calling him “a man of impeccable credentials”. That’s evidently true. It’s also the least Americans should expect.

A far more important qualification, however, is one no one will find on his CV: the ability to protect the bureau’s independence, a task all the more critical when the White House is led by a man with no respect for the barriers between politicians and law enforcement.

Wray is also a better choice than other contenders. Still, he will need to address concerns about his political connections and biases, including his role defending Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey in the Bridgegate scandal, and the tens of thousands of dollars he has donated to Republicans.

The bigger question for Americans is how Wray will respond, if he hasn’t already, when Trump comes looking for a pledge of loyalty.