Former FBI Director James Comey stressed Thursday his book is not all about President Trump, and the purpose of his book tour is not to tear down Trump’s presidency.
“I have no idea,” Comey said on CNN when asked if he thinks President Trump is weathering the book so far. “The book tour is not about the president. It’s about my hope that I can be part of facilitating a conversation about our values.”
“President Trump figures in that, obviously, because he’s part of the stories I’m trying to tell, to illustrate ethical leadership,” he added. “Because it’s not about him, I haven’t thought about it in terms of whether he’s weathering it or not weathering it.”
When pressed, Comey admitted that key parts of his book, A Higher Loyalty, are about Trump and what he sees is Trump’s failed leadership.
“I couldn’t write about ethical leadership and illustrate it with stories without telling stories about someone I think fails to reflect the values of an ethical leader,” he said.
“He’s three of the 14 chapters, it’s an important part of the book, but all I meant is, it’s not a book about Donald Trump and I hope very much that it’ll be useful long into the future beyond the Trump presidency,” Comey said.
