James Comey betrayed the trust of the American people as Director of the FBI, and did damage to that organization from which it may never recover. From the very beginning of the first Trump administration, Comey tried to undermine and ultimately destroy Trump’s power to govern. To his everlasting shame, Comey collaborated in publicizing the Steele “dossier,” which he and everyone else knew to be complete fiction. He did this out of political malice.
Now, Comey is under investigation by the Department of Justice. He lied, without a doubt. He helped to perpetrate the Russia Collusion Hoax. He betrayed his office by misusing the power of the FBI to advance partisan political ends. He showed himself to be a terrible human being. But did he commit a crime? I don’t know, but Comey undoubtedly has lawyered up. If nothing else, the ongoing investigation will cost him some money.
On Sunday, Comey stood in front of a camera and read a five-minute statement off a teleprompter. In this statement, evidently an attempt to build public sympathy as he waits to see whether he will be indicted by a grand jury, Comey tries to portray himself as a nice person who is being persecuted by the “mean” Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Comey mostly talks about Taylor Swift, and tries to identify himself with the world’s most popular entertainer. It is, on the whole, a bizarre performance:
He’s going to plead not guilty by reason of insanity, isn’t he? pic.twitter.com/iR0kKGgonx
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) August 17, 2025
I think Rita is kidding when she suggests that Comey is preparing an insanity defense, but on the evidence of this video we can say that he is not an entirely well person.
