Comey stokes intense interest after Trump sacking – by writing memoirs
JAMES COMEY, the FBI director fired by the president as he investigated Trump campaign ties to Russia, is writing a book about his career and its tumultuous conclusion.
The assiduous note taker has already proved himself an annoyance to the White House, leaking a memo to the press about how the Donald Trump asked him to drop one aspect of his probe, fuelling allegations of obstruction of justice.
As a result his agents have stoked intense interest in his book proposal, which is expected to be the subject of a big money auction in New York this week. Literary circles are abuzz with speculation Mr Comey could command an eight-figure advance.
His testimony before a Senate committee last month attracted an audience of 20 million people, who wanted to hear how the president demanded a personal oath of loyalty. Mr Comey also said he believed he was fired because he refused to end an investigation into Michael Flynn, who resigned as National Security Adviser after it emerged he misled officials about earlier meetings with Russian officials.
Publishers will hope Mr Comey has more headline-grabbing secrets to spill although the text will be vetted by the Department of Justice to prevent the release of classified material. His agents claimed he was initially reluctant to entertain offers despite the intense interest.
Rather than rehashing his career, he wanted to draw on his experiences to find broader lessons on ethics and leadership, according to Matt Latimer of the Javelin agency.