War Of Words

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 22: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) shakes hands with James Comey, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), during an Inaugural Law Enforcement Officers and First Responders Reception in the Blue Room of the White House on January 22, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump today mocked protesters who gathered for large demonstrations across the U.S. and the world on Saturday to signal discontent with his leadership, but later offered a more conciliatory tone, saying he recognized such marches as a "hallmark of our democracy." (Photo by Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Images)

It’s pretty obvious when something gets under Donald Trump’s skin, and the James Comey book is there. Trump has lashed out at his former F.B.I. director on Twitter:

James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR. Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did-until he was, in fact, fired. He leaked CLASSIFIED information, for which he should be prosecuted. He lied to Congress under OATH. He is a weak and…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2018

….untruthful slime ball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI. His handling of the Crooked Hillary Clinton case, and the events surrounding it, will go down as one of the worst “botch jobs” of history. It was my great honor to fire James Comey!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 13, 2018

And we’re guessing he hasn’t read a page. So, what provoked the outrage? After excerpts began leaking the publisher lifted the embargo. Both the New York Times and Washington Post have front page stories on the book. But it’s what’s inside A Higher Loyalty that’s devasting for Trump.

From New York Times review:

“Comey calls the Trump presidency a “forest fire” that is doing serious damage to the country’s norms and traditions.”

From the Washington Post’s Philip Rucker:

“Comey describes Trump as having been obsessed with the portion dealing with prostitutes in the infamous dossier compiled by British former intelligence officer Christopher Steele, raising it at least four times with the FBI director.”

From NPR’s Ron Elving:

“Comey fires countless fusillades against the president who fired him in May 2017, summing up at the end: “[T]his president is unethical, untethered to truth and institutional values.” Trump’s leadership, Comey says, is ‘transactional, ego driven and about personal loyalty.'”