Key record of turbulent times
First there was Michael Wolff’s Fire And Fury, a book about US President Donald Trump that had him tweeting angrily. Now comes a book by James Comey, a man that Trump fired – so you can imagine just how wild The Donald’s tweets got ....
IT’S a strange feeling to open the revelatory book of a former FBI director who, under normal circumstances, would still be in his role with the world none the wiser about his insights.
Then again, these are no ordinary times. The election of Donald Trump to the White House in 2016 put the then-director of the FBI, James Comey, in a surreal position. He had to privately warn the new leader of the free world about a dossier that raised disturbing questions about potential improper contact between the Trump campaign and the Russian Government, and also contained personal information about the president himself.
The report – known as the Steele Dossier – would form the basis of an FBI investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.
In decades gone by, James Comey was a federal prosecutor who helped to bring down the notorious Gambino family – one of the “Five Families” that ran organised mafia crime within New York City. In A Higher Loyalty, Comey presents parallels between Trump’s leadership and that of a mafia boss. It’s not hard to understand why. Republicans who were once heavy critics of then-Republican runner Donald Trump quickly came to toe the line once the unlikely candidate was elected to the White House.
After a meeting early in Trump’s administration with the president and his then-chief of staff, Comey was reminded of his days as a federal prosecutor working to take down the mob’s leadership: “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 puts the organisation above morality and above the truth.”
In the maelstrom of quick news, fake news, and divisive commentaries that flood the media these days, A Higher Loyalty pro- vides a sober reflection on the concept of ethical leadership, what it means to pursue objective truth, and how to do what’s right rather than what’s expedient.
For Comey, even small lies can become gateways to corruption down the line. Standing at an impressive 2m tall, Comey would regularly be asked if he played basketball in school. Rather than launch into an unnecessary narrative about why he hadn’t, he simply said “Yes”. Aware of the seduction of even small white lies, he was subsequently compelled to write letters to friends and colleagues about why he lied, and resolved to hold himself to a higher standard.
The current US President, on the other hand, sees himself as someone who is rarely wrong, telling The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon in 2015, “I think apologising’s a great thing, but you have to be wrong. I will absolutely apologise, sometime in the hopefully distant future, if I’m ever wrong.”
Comey – who was fired as director of the FBI by Trump in May 2017 – believes that a leader who doesn’t doubt himself will lack the necessary wisdom to carry out his role. He writes, “Doubt, I’ve learned, is wisdom. And the older I get, the less I know for certain. Those leaders who never think they are wrong, who never question their judgments or perspectives, are a danger to the organisations and people they lead. In some cases, they are a danger to the nation and the world.”
A Higher Loyalty is a book about the value of ethical leadership and the necessity of truth, but it’s also a touching memoir of how an often turbulent life shaped the values and the character of a man who can appear somewhat sanctimonious at times, but who clearly values truth, justice and honesty as the highest virtues. Stories about his close encounters with death, the tragic (and possibly avoidable) death of his baby son, and the deeply loving relationship with his wife, Patrice, offer a more human perspective to Comey that has been lacking in the media coverage.
Throughout the pages of this damning book, we don’t see the stoic giant, the man who previously referred to himself as “the FBI giraffe”. Instead, we see a man who has often had to wrestle with difficult decisions and tough choices that has drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. As an old-school editor once told me as a young journalist, “If all the politicians are complaining about you, you’re doing a good job”.
Comey describes the Trump presidency as a “forest fire” that is wreaking havoc on the values and institutions upon which America was built. Of Trump himself, Comey writes, “This president is unethical, and untethered to truth and institutional values. His leadership is transactional, ego driven and about personal loyalty.”
Despite the sombre tone and the obvious despair that shines through Comey’s words, he remains hopeful that America can recover from the spiteful divisions and tumultuous upheaval. “Forest fires, as painful as they can be, bring growth,” he writes, signifying his hope that order will be restored from the chaos.
Comey’s book delivers some fascinating and disturbing insights into the administration of his former boss, but also encourages people to reflect on their own contribution to the state of their nation. After all, it’s been said that voters often get the leaders they deserve.
In any case, it will be interesting to see the comparative judgement that history makes of former FBI director James Comey and President Donald J. Trump, and this book will surely be a key documentation of this turbulent era of American politics long after the dust has settled.
A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, And Leadership Author: James Comey Publisher: Macmillan, memoir