Former FBI Director James Comey’s testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier today about his interactions with President Trump and other members of the administration. In preparation, he also released details about his past meetings with President Trump… and they are kind of crazypants. Some of his accounts read like the Devil Wears Prada meets House of Cards meets the Apprentice. Just to make sure you appreciate every scintillating detail, we’ve illustrated some key excerpts from his January 27th meeting (AKA the most awkward dinner date ever) with President Trump
Comey’s ACTUAL REMARKS word for word are below:
“The President and I had dinner on Friday, January 27 at 6:30 pm in the Green Room at the White House. He had called me at lunchtime that day and invited me to dinner that night, saying he was going to invite my whole family, but decided to have just me this time, with the whole family coming the next time.
“It was unclear from the conversation who else would be at the dinner, although I assumed there would be others. It turned out to be just the two of us, seated at a small oval table in the center of the Green Room.
“Two Navy stewards waited on us, only entering the room to serve food and drinks. The President began by asking me whether I wanted to stay on as FBI Director, which I found strange because he had already told me twice in earlier conversations that he hoped I would stay, and I had assured him that I intended to.
“He said that lots of people wanted my job and, given the abuse I had taken during the previous year, he would understand if I wanted to walk away. My instincts told me that the one-on-one setting, and the pretense that this was our first discussion about my position, meant the dinner was, at least in part, an effort to have me ask for my job and create some sort of patronage relationship.
“That concerned me greatly, given the FBI’s traditionally independent status in the executive branch.I replied that I loved my work and intended to stay and serve out my ten-year term as Director. And then, because the set-up made me uneasy, I added that I was not ‘reliable’ in the way politicians use that word, but he could always count on me to tell him the truth.
“I added that I was not on anybody’s side politically and could not be counted on in the traditional political sense, a stance I said was in his best interest as the President. A few moments later, the President said, ‘I need loyalty, I expect loyalty.’
“I didn’t move, speak, or change my facial expression in any way during the awkward silence that followed. We simply looked at each other in silence…”
…aaaand there’s more. It’s worth reading.
Check out the full transcript of Comey’s prepared testimony here.