When you think of James Comey and dinner, his January 27 solo soiree with Donald Trump is what probably comes to mind. And we know that he came away from it feeling uncomfortable, being alone with Donald Trump. When you think about it, who wouldn’t?
One of the things that I like about Comey, and something that gives him considerable credibility, is that that he seems to be a very good “creep detector.”
Fast forward to Comey’s personal life. He is the father of five children. Now, imagine him asking one of his children to invite his or her new significant other to the house for dinner. If you’re that significant other, you might think that it would be really scary to meet with the former director of the F.B.I. That’s the down side of it.
But if you’re one of Comey’s kids, it has to be a terrific reality check. Because one thing that we’ve learned from Comey with his recent testimony before Congressional committees is that he is an incredible judge of character. So, if you bring your friend to dinner at the Comey’s and afterwards you ask dad what he thinks of the friend, you’ll probably get an answer that is worth listening to.
All of this is to say that Comey is a true foil to Donald Trump and many of those in his administration. The pathology of Trump is well documented. Sometimes we get inured to it. But it’s not just him. It’s so many of his associates – Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, Betsy DeVos, Rick Perry, and Corey Lewandowski. But near the top of this list has to be Jeff Sessions.
Sessions is not just the prototypical politician from the old Confederacy who is morally challenged with issues of race, human rights and economic rights. He seems to have fundamental problems with logic and clear thinking, as witnessed by his confirmation testimony under questioning from Al Franken.
If you’re Comey and you’re in the middle of a world with Donald Trump and Jeff Sessions, you have to rely on yourself and those who you know and trust to try to make sense out of what is weird and bizarre. His testimony clearly reveals that was his modus operandi.
Our nation is very fortunate to have had the likes of James Comey and Sally Yates as holdovers from the Obama Administration. Where would we be now if they had not been in office to put the brakes on this fast and furious and unguided administration.
We can talk about legalisms until the cows come home. But the bottom line is that the first requisite for someone in public office may be to have a solid connection with reality. We can be thankful for the one hundred nine days of Comey in the Trump Administration as well as the ten days of Sally Yates. It’s a badge of honor to be fired by Trump.