#1 New York Times Bestseller now in paperback with new material The inspiration for The Comey Rule, the Showtime limited series starring Jeff Daniels premiering September 2020In his book, former FBI director James Comey shares his never-before-told experiences from some of the highest-stakes situations of his career in the past two decades of American government, exploring what good, ethical … American government, exploring what good, ethical leadership looks like, and how it drives sound decisions. His journey provides an unprecedented entry into the corridors of power, and a remarkable lesson in what makes an effective leader.
Mr. Comey served as director of the FBI from 2013 to 2017, appointed to the post by President Barack Obama. He previously served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the U.S. deputy attorney general in the administration of President George W. Bush. From prosecuting the Mafia and Martha Stewart to helping change the Bush administration’s policies on torture and electronic surveillance, overseeing the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation as well as ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, Comey has been involved in some of the most consequential cases and policies of recent history.
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Wow is all I can say! What a great book. Comey really told it like it is and didn’t leave out any information about what’s going on in the white house. I think everyone should read this book, even though I feel it was Comey who helped lose the election for Hillary. It’s well written and easy to read. He goes back through his entire career and explains the background and reasons why he made the decisions he ended up making. Very interesting!
First, I believe James Comey is an honorable man, whose career includes service in the Clinton and Bush administrations, among other positions. Then came Trump. I think Comey’s work and credentials are impeccable, and they are clearly evident in this book.
“A Higher Loyalty” is an autobiography, not a dump-on-Trump, as many believe. It includes information about the workings of government, public service and U.S District Court, Southern District in New York, where he served (ironically) under Rudolph Giuliani, the same court where Michael Cohen (Trump’s fixer) was arraigned.
The book takes us through Comey’s time in various positions, and is candid about how important his family is to him, his wife Patrice’s support and input, the death of their days-old baby, Colin, and in general a very heartfelt open book of his life.
Then came Trump, and life was upended. As most know, Comey was head of the FBI, and — in the aftermath of the Clinton-email debacle — was open to Trump’s razor-sharp criticisms. What was most telling — and surely the genesis of the book’s title — was that Trump expected clear pronouncement of loyalty to him. Not the country, not the Constitution, not the law, but to Donald Trump. Comey gave circuitous replies that didn’t seem to crack Trump’s cranium; he didn’t seem to understand that what he was hearing wasn’t the craved pledge.
James Comey also wouldn’t “lock her up!” — the chant Trump leads at his rallies that refers to Hillary Clinton over her email fiasco. Instead, Comey ultimately wound up fired.
Overall, the book is a good snapshot of Comey’s life and law enforcement and prosecutorial career, and his writing style is easy to read, the words easy to follow. But … there is always a but — I came away with the sense that it had a taste of self-service, of the hometown boy who always said his prayers and never missed a chance to help little old ladies across the street. In fact, that may have been true, and probably was, but the abundance of personal diary-like entries distracted me from the intense machinations of government and investigations and prosecutions and the people who work and worked at it day after day.
That does not in any way dilute the value of the account of contemporary history drafted from Comey’s robust collection of contemporaneous notes of his encounter’s with Donald Trump. By any standards, that adds credibility.
As I said, this is not a dump-on-Trump. It is a mirror image of Comey’s work and presidential administrations, including Trump’s.
I recommend “A Higher Loyalty” to anyone who is open-minded and is eager to add information to their mental library. I think history will be kind to James Comey.
–Patricia H
Excellent account of some of the things happening in Washington in the last two years. Fascinating
I was disappointed in the book due to the lack of details on the more current events. It also became difficult to read as his arrogance and self-righteousness came more and more into play.
This is an easy to read account of James Comey’s travels through the justice system, with an inspirational explanation of his philosophy. I now understand why he announced the reopening of the investigation of Hillary Clintons e-mails just 2 weeks before the election, and I have more information about Donald Trump that is very concerning. I recommend this for anyone seeking clarity.
Veracity on every page. James Comey speaks to the reader directly, and in my case, convincingly. A must read for anyone interested in the life and times of one of our best FBI Directors and U.S. Attorneys.
Incredible book, that all should read. Comey is an exceptional writer.
The first two thirds was spotty at holding my attention – parts were fascinating and parts were very much not. I enjoyed reading Comey’s first-hand impressions of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. It was eye opening to read Comey’s explanation of his decisions surrounding Clinton’s email investigation, and while I’m not sure what I would’ve done in his shoes, it’s food for thought. The last third of the book, which centered on Trump, was FIRE, especially that epilogue:
“I see many so-called conservative commentators, including some faith leaders, focusing on favorable policy initiatives or court appointments to justify their acceptance of this damage, while de-emphasizing the impact of this president on basic norms and ethics. That strikes me as both hypocritical and wrong. The hypocrisy is evident if you simply switch the names and imagine that a President Hillary Clinton had conducted herself in a similar fashion in office. I’ve said this earlier but it’s worth repeating: close your eyes and imagine these same voices if President Hillary Clinton had told the FBI director, ‘I hope you will let it go,’ about the investigation of a senior aide, or told casual, easily disprovable lies nearly every day and then demanded we believe them. The hypocrisy is so thick as to be almost darkly funny. I say this as someone who has worked in law enforcement for most of my life, and served presidents of both parties. What is happening now is not normal. It is not fake news. It is not okay.
Whatever your politics, it is wrong to dismiss the damage to the norms and traditions that have guided the presidency and our public life for decades or, in many cases, since the republic was founded. It is also wrong to stand idly by, or worse, to stay silent when you know better, while a president so brazenly seeks to undermine public confidence in law enforcement institutions that were established to keep our leaders in check…without these checks on our leaders, without those institutions vigorously standing against abuses of power, our country cannot sustain itself as a functioning democracy. I know there are men and women of good conscience in the United States Congress on both sides of the aisle who understand this. But not enough of them are speaking out. They must ask themselves to what, or to whom, they hold a higher loyalty: to partisan interests or to the pillars of democracy? Their silence is complicity – it is a choice – and somewhere deep down they must know that.
Policies come and go. Supreme Court justices come and go. But the core of our nation is our commitment to a set of shared values that began with George Washington – to restraint and integrity and balance and transparency and truth. If that slides away from us, only a fool would be consoled by a tax cut or different immigration policy.”
Told it like it is. He is probably the most honest person who is or has been connected with the government!
Eye opening. It fills the gaps that the media couldn’t.
This book taught me a lot about the importance of keeping DOJ completely separate from the Executive Branch of government. I also realized (surprisingly) that the FBI is an amazing institution full of TRUTHS and non partisan. Loved this book and am much more knowledgeable!
I typically would not read this genre but glad I did. This book was a whole lot more then his firing from Trump. Comey wrote about what led him to the FBI citing other high-profile cases that are no longer classified. What brought him to law enforcement on so many levels is a childhood trauma. Read the book, it will hold your interest.
One comes to trust James Comey much more than Trump after reading this book.
This book is a must for every American regardless of who you voted for in 2016.
The story is about James Comey’s life, his
upbringing, his career and what he had to deal with as far as the 2016 Presidential Election.
Comey writes very well, a lot better than most of his political contemporaries. He gets a little bogged down in a couple of legal chapters but very readable indeed. I liked the fact that he was very honest and introspective.
Very good he is telling the truth
Not my usual reading matter, but very glad I read it.
I borrowed this book from my library. I’m Canadian, so I wasn’t sure it would be relevant to me. I was afraid it would be very political and to be honnest quite boring. But I think that regardless of your political affiliation, the book is worth a read. It provides great lessons in leadership and the value of having a moral compass. My only criticism is that it almost sounds too perfect. It’s almost like a lecture. However, the book is also humbling in that Comey also admits hos own mistakes.
I hope partisans on both sides will set aside their “Comey rage” – I’m still fuming too – and take the time to read his well-thought-out bio, “A Higher Loyalty.” It’s clear, honest, reflective, and written with a citizen’s heart. He’s a good writer, and the man obviously kept detailed notes. If you’re still on the fence regarding “Okay, who’s lying here,” I got to the finish of his testimony and feel assured that: a) he’s telling the truth, and b) he labored earnestly to make the best decisions possible during impossible moments.
Comey writes with passion about the FBI and its reputation, an agency “with no party.” As director, he cared about keeping its reservoir of goodwill brimming full. When it came to the Clinton email investigation, he made two wrenching decisions which very likely caused the election of Mr. Trump – as he realized it might. Along with millions of voters who supported the Democratic ticket, I was sorely frustrated both times. But it is helpful to read his explanation, and to come to understand that the FBI had two awful choices: Speak? Conceal? If the agency had held back, and then after the election it had leaked that the FBI had quietly resurrected its investigation just two weeks before voters went to the polls, Comey’s diagnosis is likely correct: “The reservoir would be empty.”
I’m still exasperated by what happened. But I concede now that when a patriotic American citizen who leads such an agency sit around a table with solid advisors, lots of them, and they wrestle for hours and days about the best course to take, pros and cons, playing out the various scenarios, and then finally make a gutsy call, then commoners like me need to stand down. Things went south; it was a mess. They were picking from two lousy, near-fatal options. But Jim Comey does tell the truth and he does love his country.
Just from a “color” point of view, I’ll observe that the book is professionally written with a mostly cheerful flow. There are nice bits of humor. Be advised that he’s a street-smart FBI guy; some of the language is salty, although not prurient or gratuitous.
I’ll let the author provide the close in his own words.
“Policies come and go. Supreme Court justices come and go. But the core of our nation is our commitment to a set of shared values that began with George Washington – to restraint and integrity and balance and transparency and truth. If that slides away from us, only a fool would be consoled by a tax cut or a different immigration policy.
“But I choose to be optimistic. Yes, the current president will do significant damage in the short term. Important norms and traditions will be damaged by the flames. But forest fires, as painful as they can be, bring growth. They spur growth that was impossible before the fire, when old trees crowded out new plants on the forest floor. In the midst of this fire, I already see new life – young people engaged as never before, and the media, the courts, academics, nonprofits, and all other parts of civil society finding reason to bloom.
“The next president, no matter the party, will surely emphasize values – truth, integrity, respect, and tolerance – in ways an American leader hasn’t needed to for more than forty years. The fire will make something good grow.”
A dedicated public servant who attempted to do what he thought was right in the midst of a political storm from the left and the right. You know you are doing right and making unbiased decisions when both sides hate what you are doing. It left me with hope for our institutions and public servants!