Bar and grill
Comeymania puts the ‘pub’ in public affairs
PAUL MORRIS was witnessing history in the making, and he didn’t want to watch it alone.
So instead of turning on his television and putting his feet up on his couch, Morris walked over to a Brooklyn bar and grill to listen to a fired government official talk about lies, email servers and an awkward dinner with the President of the United States.
“I wanted to be in a group of people and not watching it on my TV at home or at work, said Morris, who watched former FBI Director James Comey’s Senate testimony at the Building on Bond restaurant in Boerum Hill. “I also watched the election here.”
Morris was one of more than 50 people who crowded the restaurant and watched the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on a large projection screen flanked by booming speakers.
“It’s more entertaining than I thought it would be,” said Morris, 45. “Comey is very human, a very warm person, despite some of the clinical nature of the FBI’s work.”
Nick Sage, 19, a student from Seattle, said he was glad for the company.
“I decided I would come out and watch the Comey investigation with the locals and kind of see what they thought about it,” Sage said.
“I think gatherings like this are really important because American democracy functions best when we are talking with our communities and getting to know people.
“This is probably a pretty polarized group but the fact that people are willing to come out here with their neighbors and share in a joint experience I think is meaningful and very important in this country.”
Brooklyn dietician Callie Exas, 33, had a burger and a drink to go with her senate testimony show.
“I think Comey’s doing a good job,” Exas said. “He has been engaging to watch.
“I’m not necessarily a big fan of Comey for how he handled the Clinton campaign. But it was fun to come here and watch it and be part of it . This is historical. This is major.”
The must-see event also drew Comey watchers to the Q.E.D. performance space in Astoria, where visitors lined up as though Comey himself was inside.
“We had a hectic morning,” said Chris Gersbeck, a Q.E.D. spokesman.
“There were people waiting outside before we opened, and then more and more started coming. People were ordering beer by 10:30 a.m. It’s one of those events that people want to be with other people when they watch. There’s something about political events that brings people out. We had debate viewings with big crowds, too." demands for loyalty; a backstabbing betrayal, and whispered conversations, now dragged into the blinding spotlight.
Even the setting was dramatic. Room 216 of the Senate’s Hart Building is one of Washington, D.C.’s, bloodiest arenas, with hundreds of seats for spectators and press booths like the ones found in stadiums around the world.
It was compelling television at its best — from the least likely source: politicians in suits talking, no shaky camera angles, no instant replay, no crazy music in the background, no rose ceremony and elimination round at the end. At least not yet. Thursday’s blockbuster testimony about Russian meddling and Trump’s demand for loyalty was, as expected, explosive. And in terms of melodrama, it delivered.
Comey, asked about his impression of Trump dismissing Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Jared Kushner to talk privately, the stoic-faced former top cop said he felt, “Something big is about to happen.”
Pow — like a rubout in “The Godfather”!
Comey revealed the chilling words Trump whispered into his ear in that famous video when the former FBI director tried to blend in with the Blue Room’s curtains: “I really look forward to working with you.”
Juicy — like a damning smile from Kevin Spacey in “House of Cards”!
Comey also accused Trump of being a liar — repeatedly accused him, in fact. Trump was such a big liar that Comey had to keep notes on their meetings: “I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting.”
Viewers might complain that there was no smoking gun here, but Comey delivered exactly what any television exec could want: brutal hits on his nemesis, tons of compelling smoke, a cliffhanger ending and an ominous teaser about future episodes featuring the Russian election meddling.
“Oh, it’s a long-term practice of theirs,” he warned. “It stepped up a notch in a significant way in ’16. They’ll be back.”
Lordy, we’ll all be watching.