Now that President Trump has rage-tweeted about James Comey’s just-released book, the former FBI director is likely set for a comfortable retirement.
But if Comey intended for his book to restore his good standing in political and media circles after his controversial role in focusing the nation’s attention on Hillary Clinton’s emails at the end of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, he may just be out of luck.
For starters, the Clinton alumni association isn’t letting go of any grudges.
“He should’ve been fired by Barack Obama … not by President Trump,” says Lanny Davis, who served as special counsel to former President Bill Clinton, in an interview promoting his own book, which blames Comey for costing Clinton the presidency. (No, really. Its subtitle is “How FBI Director James Comey Cost Hillary Clinton the Presidency.”)
He added, “It’s about I, I, I, I [with Comey]. It’s only about James Comey. He should’ve been fired.”
Clinton’s 2016 campaign manager, John Podesta, had similar criticism this week.
“To some extent it was his arrogance that led him to make a very bad error of judgment,” he said of Comey’s decision to reopen the Clinton email investigation. “I thought he was an idiot in the context of this election and that it was influential in the outcome, and now we have someone who, as he said, is morally unfit to be the president of the United States.””
Then there has been the reaction from the press.
Fox News’ Chris Wallace, for example, said last week that the book made Comey sound “bitchy,” especially the parts where the former director mocked Trump’s physical appearance.
New York Times columnist Frank Bruni also said of the former FBI director’s jabs aimed Trump’s appearance, “Wasn’t he supposed to be better than this?”
CNN’s David Gregory said of Comey’s interview this weekend on ABC News, “I don’t think Jim Comey came off well at all. I think yet again he is obsessed with his standing, his media standing, his kind of political standing.”
Gregory’s CNN colleague Ana Navarro said elsewhere, “Maybe it’s just me … the more I hear from Comey, the more conflicted I feel,” adding, “the guy has a big ego, is selectively inconsistent. I find him obnoxiously self-righteous.”
This doesn’t even touch on the reaction from the Right, which has been unsurprisingly brutal.
In addition to Trump’s angry reaction, the Republican National Committee launched a website dedicated entirely to undermining the former director’s credibility. (Humorously enough, the site is loaded with anti-Comey quotes from Democratic notables, including Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, as well as Rep. Maxine Waters and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, both of California). Then there’s the Fox News’ commentary team, Breitbart News, talk radio, and nearly every other right-leaning organization, each of which has issued multiple unflattering criticisms of the former director.
The most humorous reaction to the book tour also happens to be the accurate description of its overall tone. It comes from the satirical website the Onion, which published a headline that read simply, “Comey: ‘What Can I Say, I’m Just A Catty Bitch From New Jersey And I Live For Drama.’”
Basically, no one likes Comey right now. Not even the funnies.
