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    A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership
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    A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership
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    A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership
    Ebook367 pages6 hours

    A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership

    By James Comey

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    The inspiration for The Comey Rule, the Showtime limited series starring Jeff Daniels premiering September 2020

    The sensational Sunday Times #1 Bestseller about taking on the mafia, the Clintons and Trump.

    'An urgent clarion call.' - The Financial Times

    In A Higher Loyalty, his massive Number One bestselling memoir, 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 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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPan Macmillan
    Release dateApr 17, 2018
    ISBN9781529000849
    Author

    James Comey

    James Comey was raised in the New York area and attended the College of William and Mary and Chicago Law School. He worked as an assistant US attorney in New York, prosecuting organised crime figures, and worked on terrorism cases as an assistant US attorney in Virginia. He served as the seventh Director of the FBI from 2013 until May 9, 2017, when he was dismissed by President Donald Trump.

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    Reviews for A Higher Loyalty

    4/5

    388 ratings31 reviews

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    • 5/5
      If someone expects to read another typical book about Trump, will be disappointed. The orange POTUS is in the book but only in the last few chapters. But if you want to read an interesting book about years serving the state and about a `higher loyalty` go yourself a favour and read the autobiography of the former FBI director.
    • 4/5
      Based on all the reviews and hype, I had expected more of 1) a self-justifying screed and/or 2) a hatchet job. This is neither. While Comey does his fair share of justifying his controversial decisions in 2016-17, he mostly reveals a much more honest and thoughtful humanity, being quite willing to mock himself and to admit up front his personal failings.

      And his discussion of the leaders he has worked with is framed within an ethic of responsibility and leadership I find resonant with my own experiences (albeit in much less stratospheric contexts). As an example, Comey describes the leadership he sough5 to foster at the FBI:

      “We would teach that great leaders are (l) people of integrity and decency; (2) confident enough to be humble; (3) both kind and tough; (4) trans parent; and (5) aware that we all seek meaning in work. We would also teach them that (6) what they say is important, but what they do is far more important, because their people are always watching them. In short, we would demand and develop ethical leaders.” P. 130

      There are those who judge Comey and thus his book based on whether they believe he helped or hurt their “team,” whether he had a political agenda. Perhaps he has and has hidden it well. In “A Higher Loyalty,” he addresses this effectively, explaining his reasons for his decisions and acknowledging that others of good will an intelligence may well disagree.

      I recommend the book, in the short run for its timely relevance, but in the long run as a thoughtful, honest, and readable discussion on the ethics of power and leadership. We need more ethical leadership, desperately.
    • 4/5
      After my experience with Fire and Fury, I wasn't sure if I would regret purchasing James Comey's much-anticipated book. I don't. The issue I had with Michael Woolf's book was simply that there were no surprises by the time the cable news networks had done their interviews and discussions. There are no Trump bombshells in Comey's book that haven't also been made public in his testimony or his interview with George Stephanopoulos--but the 2016 election and the Trump presidency make up only the last 20-25% of the book, and the rest is very interesting indeed. A Higher Loyalty is an honest memoir, one that looks back at the events and individuals that shaped the former FBI Director's character and values and his concept of what makes a good leader.In addressing his childhood, Comey talks about a devastating move from a familiar school and neighborhood (his grandfather had been the local police commissioner) where he had been one of the popular kinds to another where he suffered bullying. He tells us about a terrifying incident when, as a teenager, he and his brother were held at gunpoint by a home invader later identified as a serial rapist. He recounts some stupid mistakes he made as a grocery stockboy, and of the owner, a man whose example gave him some important lessons in what makes a good leader. Later, we see him discovering the work of Reinhold Niebuhr in a college religion class. (You may have seen Comey's tweets under Neibuhr's name, many of them using the theologist's own words.) He gives us insights into his long marriage to a supportive wife and their tragic loss of an infant son. Along the way, he remembers teachers, colleagues, and others who set an example for the man he hoped to become. And, of course, there is his long and fascinating career. After a stint as law clerk to a federal judge in Manhattan and a short stint with a private law firm, Comey joined the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York--the same office currently investigating Michael Cohen, President Trump's "fixer." One of the cases he worked on was the Gambino crime family prosecution, and he has a lot of intriguing stories to tell about that experience. He was deputy special counsel to the Whitewater investigation--his first run-in with Hillary Clinton--and, as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, investigated President Clinton's pardon of fugitive Marc Rich, a Clinton campaign contributor facing federal charges of violating trade sanctions against Iran. I had no idea that Comey was the lead prosecutor in the case against Martha Stewart. His discussion of the case and the dilemmas he faced are a fine example of the way he uses his legal experiences to demonstrate his sense of ethics. Years earlier, he had upheld the conviction of a young black assistant pastor who had lied to the FBI in attempting to protect his mentor. If this man served time for his crime, why should Martha Stewart be shown leniency for the same crime and others?Comey's first headlong plunge into Washington politics came when he opposed the Bush regime's extension of the NSA's domestic wiretapping program, which had been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The story of his visit to John Ashcroft's hospital bedside, accompanied by three trusted colleagues, including then-FBI Director Robert Mueller. They persuaded Ashcroft, the Attorney General, to uphold the discontinuation of the wiretaps, thwarting the wishes of President Bush, Vice President Cheney, White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, and White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez. This was not Comey's last run-in with these politicos and others, including Condoleeza Rice. He opposed the interrogation procedures--waterboarding, sleep deprivation, humiliation, etc.--as forms of both physical and mental torture, and he was involved in the investigation of Scooter Libby for lying to the FBI, obstructing justice, and outing CIA agent Valerie Plame. (Is it possible this is yet another reason, in addition to sending a message to cronies under investigation, for Trump's recent pardon of Libby?) Again and again, he stands up for his belief that members of the Justice Department, once appointed, must work independently and not be steered by the Executive Office. He addresses the criticism he received for appearing sympathetic to the concerns of Black Lives Matters and recounts his efforts to increase the percentage of minority personnel working for the FBI, encouraging employees to recruit talented people by telling them about the opportunities the department offers and by "finding joy" in their own work. And of course, there are the last few years: the issue of Hillary Clinton's private server and lost emails, the concerns about Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and the exchanges with Trump that resulted in Comey's firing. Comey is nothing if not honest about his personal faults and the mistakes he has made, but he attempts to explain the internal conflicts he faced and the rationale behind his decisions. You may not agree with him, but you can't help but agree that he thought he was doing his job to the best of his ability, holding fast to the truth he still believes will set us all free and following the example of his lifelong mentors. ( Once his book tour is over, he will be returning to the classroom, teaching courses in effective and ethical leadership.)I listened to this book on audio and recommend it in that format. Comey is a good writer and a very good reader, and hearing him tell his own story adds credence to it. I enjoyed A Higher Loyalty not as an exposé or even a self-justification, but simply as the story of one man's life and its challenges.
    • 5/5
      Wow! I could not put this book down! I normally am bored by non-fiction, but I was fascinated by the stories James Comey shared about his experiences. He seems like an honorable man trying to make the right choices and I learned a lot of the “real story” behind what you hear on the news. Oh the feels in here! I really enjoyed this one!
    • 5/5
      Candid, witty, self-critical and insightful as both a memoir and a leadership textbook.
    • 5/5
      I’ve thought about this book a lot since I read it. It should be looked at as more than a commentary on Trump, it should be read by leaders who are searching for moral leadership skills and how to get the best from employees. In fact, in progressive churches, it would make an interesting book study.
    • 5/5
      Regardless of your political view, this book is about honesty and integrity and ethical behavior. James Comey is a very humble and honest person who admits his own mistakes in his writing. His narrative is easy to follow and for the most part humble and believable. He reminds us about the importance of honesty and integrity in leadership. An easy to read non fiction book.
    • 5/5
      An honest recounting of the highlights of former FBI Director James Comey's career which led him to the Kobayashi Maru scenario involving an election eve discovery of Hillary Clinton emails and the confrontation that led to President Trump's firing of Comey. Comey makes clear he expected the FBI to stay independent. This despite Trump's own attempt to absorb the Agency leadership. The release of his memos of his meetings with Trump, unwisely demanded by congressional Republicans, backs up his book. Comey's stories of prosecuting the mob, Martha Stewart, and working with presidents Bush and Obama, which highlight experiences that shaped his philosophy, cannot be minimized. They are interesting too. I'm other words, a good book throughout and an eloquent testament to the search for justice and the ego-driven governing style of Trump.
    • 5/5
      On of the best nonfiction books that I have read.
    • 4/5
      Surprisingly good, I was very pleased to find. Comey was dealt a rough hand in 2016, and although of course this is his version of events, I ended up thinking he was probably telling it as straight as he could ... and that he didn't really seem to have any other option than doing what he did. And his later version of how things went with Trump certainly seems much more plausible than the way Trump would have it. I hope this book will find a wide readership.
    • 3/5
      Comey's led a interesting life with all the mafia and martha stewart stuff; the more recent history with Trumpy the clown is significantly less engaging. I rather wish Comey had a chance to write a proper autobiography because he's got some stories.
    • 5/5
      A Higher Loyalty is a worthy read. Let me preface by saying I wanted to throttle James Comey with my bare hands back in Fall of 2016. Now I have a much better understanding of why he made the decisions he made about the Clinton email ‘matter.’ I did feel that section of the book could have used a bit more editing, but again… I think he wanted to stress exactly how painstaking a process reading and sifting through all those emails turned out to be for his agents.There is quite a bit of biographical material and I enjoyed it. Comey is a decent writer, and I hope he keeps doing it. He does have a tendency to come across a bit as an over-grown boy scout, though there is some well-placed humor. We do need serious people in places of power.I’ll cut to the chase here and say I believed his version of events and trust him almost completely. As to the naysayers who question why he’s come out with this book now, I think he feels an obligation to alert us to exactly what kind of man we’re dealing with in this president and mitigate his impact. It certainly seems that much of Comey’s political party is, unlike him, incapable of stepping up. I’m sure my review with be an exercise in preaching to the choir, as I suspect most Trump supporters won’t bother reading either my review or the book itself. This book describes in detail events that they’d rather ignore or just outright deny even occurred. So it goes.
    • 4/5
      If you are not committed to reading it, you might find the first few chapters a little on the dull side, but this book is worth the time to read it. I have read Donald Trump's book, "Trump - the Art of the Deal", and it offers up a little bit of the insight you need to understand the current president. This offers more. After reading the Comey book, which was written by a person who admits to not being perfect, to not always doing the right thing, and to the need to question oneself (characteristics which don't describe the current president in any stretch of the imagination), I am grateful that Comey took the time and effort needed to detail his interactions in the current White House and why he had such trouble there. It is clear from the book that Donald Trump is attempting to run the country as if it is his personal family corporation. He has no understanding of the Constitution, the American government and it's separation of powers, and the limitations of the executive branch. The people around him who do understand those things attempt to educate him to the necessity for the judicial branch and the executive branch to remain separate and independent but he is having none of that. He cannot understand why he can't be the CEO as he is in his own company, and as a result we have chaos in government. This is an important book and should be read by all those who voted for President Trump and have now become his personal apologists. Comey has worked for both Republican and Democratic presidents and has positive and negative things to say about all of them, but he contrasts his earlier bosses with Trump in that Trump is the only one he recognizes as unethical and an unapologetic liar. He argues that the judicial branch is apolitical and must remain so and that all the people he has worked with recognize this important fact. A quote from his epilogue says it all, "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 brazenly seeks to undermine public confidence in law enforcement institutions that were established to keep our leaders in check. Every organization has its flaws, but the career prosecutors and agents at the Justice Department and the FBI are there for a reason - to rise above partisanship and do what's right for the country, regardless of their own political views. Without these checks on our leaders, without those institutions vigorously standing against abuses of power, our country cannot sustain itself as a functioning democracy."
    • 5/5
      A memoir of the now-fired FBI director's life, including his 18 months of dealing with Donald Trump. Regardless of political affiliation, this is a must read. Astonishing and scarey. Comey is a saint.
    • 5/5
      In this 290 page book, Donald Trump does not make an appearance until page 210. This is not what you'd have expected, given the media focus on the sacked FBI director's account of his meetings with the American president. The first 210 pages of the book describe in considerable detail Comey's career as a prosecutor and senior figure in both the Department of Justice and later, the FBI. And in those pages we learn about Comey's values, the lessons that he's learned, and what makes him a formidable threat to the Trump presidency. One has to read his account of the Cosa Nostra, which he investigated and prosecuted, to fully understand the horror of his well-publicised description of Trump as more like a crime boss than a political leader. Essential reading.
    • 5/5
      So many questions got answered by this book. A very frank account not only of Comey's whole life up to this point (which was quite a story in itself) but of recent events that produced such a commotion politically. Just like in Michael Wolff's "Fire and Fury", the portrait of Donald Trump as an incompetent president and a downright manipulator, shocks the reader, but James Comey's version of this portrait is even more astounding - as he delivers his impressions from one-on-one meetings with Trump. I appreciated the distinction Comey made so clearly - between "loyalty" in Trump's world and a higher loyalty, an honest loyalty. Perfect title for this candid and, in the end, inspiring book. I liked the audio format - it was quite emotionally narrated by Comey himself.
    • 4/5
      I knew little about James Comey, the ex-FBI director, before he was brought to my attention and I'm sure many of yours, after being fired by Trump. Not so much fired as ambushed, since Trump didn't even have the decency to let him know he had been fired . Comey saw it on the TV while giving a speech to s group of people he was trying to recruit for his service. He found out the same time we the public did. Unconsciousable!This book describes Comeys life, his many years in the public eye, service to his country. An impressive background, an ehical man who constantly fought to be fair, remain unbiased. Something he admits to struggling with. His time in the Bush White House, as director appointed by Obama, and then in just the last part of the book, Trump. He lays out clearly what the role of the FBI must be, a service that to put the public first must remain unbiased. Untied to the Oval office, Obama understood this, Trump clearly didn't. He explains the Clinton emails, how his team thought and the hard decision he had to make. Why he made the decision and proceeded the way he did. That he finds Trump to not have the necessary character traits to serve as the head of this country, is something many of us feel. From his first strange meeting with Trump, to a wildly inappropriate dinner, he was put in a terrible bind, one he didn't know how to handle. He did make a few catty remarks in describing Trump's physical characteristics, but other then that he was eloquent and stuck to the facts as he saw them. I quickly gobbled up this book, read it in a day, which I rarely do with books. I found Comey to be credible, fair, and his treatment at the hands of Trump, despicable. His view for our country in the long term is a hopeful one and one in which I wish I could share.
    • 4/5
      Excellent. Most of the "early" stuff I knew due to working with his mom for 14 years... most of the "new" stuff I knew from watching TOO MUCH CNN. Nice to hear it in his words. Gave some good insights. Thanks!
    • 3/5
      Director Comey shares much more than the current events with Trump. Mr. Comey covers some childhood experiences as well as his earlier employment, but most of all, the tenants of his leadership style. I felt it was a fairly insightful telling, though many of his points were repeated. The book could have easily been 25% shorter without loss of content. Well worth the read.
    • 5/5
      If you can ignore the subject of Donald Trump's firing of James Comey, and I know that this is a big ask, former FBI director Comey's memoir is a fascinating insider's look at many events that have made the headlines in the last twenty years. In his career as a U.S. attorney, he participated in the prosecution of mobster John Gotti and the insider trading case against Martha Stewart. As a deputy attorney general during the Bush administration, he was instrumental in heading off White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales' efforts to pressure the gravely ill Attorney General John Ashcroft to authorize domestic wiretapping under the Terrorist Surveillance Program (TSP). Comey also goes into great detail in explaining his thought processes motivating the decisions he made regarding the Hillary Clinton email case. Whether or not you agree with his decision, it was clear that he was placed in an untenable position and I believe that he handled it in a way that he believed was the most fair and nonpartisan manner available to him.What I enjoyed most about this book, though, was his discourses on integrity and the people and events in his life that contributed to his views on duty and leadership. Whether or not you believe his version of the events leading up to his firing (I do), his philosophy is enlightening and educational. On the down-side, this book was clearly rushed to press and there are several repetitious passages. All in all, though, it was a well-composed book that provided me with considerable insight into the workings of the modern FBI and how to get along with the current president. My thanks to the folks at the The History Book Club for giving me the opportunity to read and discuss this and many other fine books.
    • 4/5
      I listened to the audio version of this book, read by the author. I was engaged right from the start. James Comey has had a fascinating career. Comey details his work life in a manner which clearly indicates the building blocks of his present day ethos. Sprinkled with bits from his personal life, the reader comes to appreciate the talent and drive which brought the man to his current circumstances. His work during Trump presidency takes up only a small potion of the book. Very good read!
    • 5/5
      The first 75% of the book is the story of James Comey's life up to the time when he met Donald Trump. That part of the book is the most interesting. He's had a lot of very interesting experiences and his telling of those stories gave me a sense of a man who has learned from experience and has been willing to serve. The last 25% is his experience with Donald Trump without a lot of animosity. I did not get a sense of someone trying to bad mouth or get back at another, but just telling the facts of what he experienced. The first 75% of the book makes the last part believable.
    • 5/5
      I approached this book with a degree of skepticism as there have been some decisions made by this former FBI director that I disagreed with at the time that they were made. However, after reading this book and thinking about the reasons he gave for making these decisions, while I still do not always agree with them, I found him to be honorable, ethical, honest and consistent in his decision-making processes. I particularly liked how he compared the FBI's reputation for trust and credibility to a reservoir, something built up by decades of quality work done by those before and constantly being replenished by those serving now, but how all could be lost by a single hole in the dam, or the negative actions of one person. Readers should also keep in mind that this book is about much more than just the things that happened during the Trump campaign and presidency. Comey takes us back to his childhood and how various experiences throughout his life shaped him and his views. He includes some humorous stories and some moving moments showing us that he is a real person with real feelings. I heard that he will be teaching a course at William & Mary College on ethics. Those lucky students! Based on this book and hearing him speak, he will be an AWESOME professor, and will continue to make a difference. It is a shame we lost him in public service. However, one never knows what will happen in the future. I highly recommend this book for anyone who care about our country and its future.
    • 4/5
      I'm not sure I learned a lot that was new about the Clinton emails and the Trump malfeasance from this book; and as many others have pointed out, Comey does a lot of self-justifying in his book, as one might expect. But in general, I believed him. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      News junkies who paid attention to Comey's handling of the Clinton email controversy and the twists-and-turns involving Comey and Donald Trump will find few surprises in this book. The former FBI director's ubiquitous book tour and the blizzard of sound bites that followed highlighted many other noteworthy nuggets. Still, "A Higher Loyalty" managed to hold my interest from beginning to end. Listening to Comey read his narrative definitely enhanced the material. I'll refrain from delving into politics, but Comey presents a strong defense for his numerous actions during his relatively brief stint as head of the FBI. He also provides some interesting insights into his family life.
    • 3/5
      It's interesting. I guess the fact that I can have such conflicting feelings about Comey may show that he is human--not all right, and not all wrong. I don't know. Like many others, I hated his handling of the Clinton email investigation. I heard his explanation in countless interviews and testimony on TV, and basically he says the same thing in his book. But, I've come to somewhat appreciate him too, again from his testimony and his book. He writes well, and I think he genuinely believes he is a good and pure person who has always tried to do what's right. However, I think he has somewhat of an overblown opinion of himself. Perhaps all public figures do. I did appreciate the parts about his youth, and mistakes he acknowledges making at that time. I also related to his experiences in working against Mafia figures, and the parallels he draws between the mafia and the current US administration. (I hate to say the name.) I do agree with his statements that the FBI cannot be seen to be aligned with a party or a political person. I'm just not so sure his actions really always align with that. The book was very well written and readable--not a heavy political tome. I appreciate that.
    • 3/5
      A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership🍒🍒🍒
      By James Comey
      2018
      Flatiron Books

      What a huge disappointment. I can only say I think James Comey is a coward. The weak leading the blind. It will take time to rebuild this country into the great country it once was. But we will. Proud I didn't cower to the con, or fall prey to his uneticacy.
    • 5/5
      Comey is the former head of the FBI who was fired by Donald Trump. Ostensibly a treatise on leadership and what makes a great leader, it is also an autobiographical look at Comey's career with focus on his years in American government service. Using his experiences as well as those of colleagues, he illustrates what makes men & women an outstanding leader.The fun though is when he explains the background of some of his most famous cases. He was the United States Attorney General who indicted her. He was head of the FBI when the Hillary Clinton email investigation was in full swing. Then there was Donald Trump who never seemed to understand that the FBI and the Justice Departments are to keep their distance from the White House. If this was not the case, how would the public trust that investigations of accusations against White House staff had been done correctly. Trump wants everyone to be loyal to him and he dosen't want criticism or advice.I approached this book with the attitude that it would be work to read. It was anything but as Comey's prose flows effortlessly from the page. If the ending had not been about a so negative presidency, this would have been a fun read. Comey does feel that the American system of government will overcome the Trump years and may even be stronger as a result.
    • 5/5
      Different From What I ExpectedI expected James Comey’s “A Higher Loyalty” to come in at about 400 pages and that most of it would be a very detailed indictment of President Trump. Wrong, the book is a slim 277 pages and Trump is barely mentioned until page 211. Up until then it has been an autobiography of sorts with a fairly heavy dose of introspection – and that’s a good thing. Because it is Comey building a foundation which not only explains where he came from and how he got there, but also what his makeup is, what his values are. And what he expects of himself….and others. I expected it to be a prosecution, a rehash of every bit of negative evidence even remotely connected to Trump. Wrong. The book is very well written and flows well, covering events well known to those who have been paying attention over the past two years, and with just the right amount of detail. While there are no major revelations, “A Higher Loyalty” does lay out Comey’s thought process on the key events, e.g. Clinton’s emails, and shares his reasons for the choices he made, as well as how he saw likely outcomes for other choices. And lastly, given it’s seemingly lofty title, I expected the book to be a glowing salute to every step taken by the ex-FBI director before and after his termination. Wrong again. Comey explains and doesn’t whine. He admits to some errors but does not express any major regrets.There are other pluses. Comey talks about his meetings with Obama and Bush over the years and compares the three presidents. He wasn’t a big fan of Obama but appreciated his “ethical leadership” skills. He remarks how Obama found time to laugh and worked hard to make people around him feel comfortable. He adds that he never saw Trump laugh, except when it was at someone’s expense. Comey does not get defensive about his Clinton email actions (see more on this below). There are several other sections I enjoyed very much and/or found engrossing and I think you will too:Page x (Author’s Notes) – Comey’s faults as he sees themPage 62 – Why people are prosecuted for lying to the FBIPage 163 – Interesting detail about Clinton emails and how many were classified “Secret” and “Top Secret”Page 181 - The three hour plus interview with Clinton and her five person legal teamPage 188 – Three ways Russia tried to interfere with U.S. electionsPage 213 – Biden at an Obama staff meeting taking the conversation in “Direction Z”Page 217ff – The Intelligence team meeting Team Trump at Trump Tower pre-inaugurationPage 267 – Perhaps the most stunning passage of all. The phone call between Trump and McCabe where our president makes his “loser” comment. Stunning. Our president.There are a few passages in “A Higher Loyalty” I found to be disappointing. Three times by my count Comey mentions noticing white skin at Trump’s eyes, apparently caused by eye protection for sun bed use. This seemed rather small of the author as does a comment about hand size, but these are rather minor flaws. I also thought Comey got a little preachy when explaining to his audience the relative merits of “intelligence” v “judgment”.Over the days just before the books release (Apr.2018) and in the week after, Comey has taken a fair number of hits from reviewers, cable news commenters, op-ed essayists, and late night TV hosts over the Clinton email episode. The criticism has been much harsher compared to the days following his Senate Intelligence committee hearings last summer and I’m not sure why. In “A Higher Loyalty” Comey does a good job in laying out his case, and poses the somewhat rhetorical question, “what would you have done differently”. As mentioned above, he suggests a number of alternatives, then makes very good arguments against each and every one of them. Of course, Hillary doesn’t agree, and some pollsters tend to support her position. I have a different view. I feel that Clinton is solely responsible for her defeat. She ran a lackluster campaign and proved to be a terrible campaigner on camera. Given Trump’s total lack of experience and horrible behaviors particularly toward women, Clinton should have had at least a 15 point lead going into those final days and thus would have been in a position to withstand the email issue. Instead she and her team made the classic mistake of playing safe, a terrible strategy as evidenced by results in the Midwest. Consequently, Trump was never completely out of the race as he should have been and Clinton has only herself to blame for that.I think this is an excellent book and I recommend it highly, even for those of you who feel you know it all and don’t have to hear it again. This is more than sound bites and news clips. Read the entire case from beginning to end. It may surprise you.
    • 4/5
      Confirmation biases have a few peculiarities (more than being biases, that is...) They work best when we don't know we have them... "See! I saw on the News Channel something and I just knew I was right about that conspiracy!" But even if we know some of our biases, and consciously work to set them aside, we will still find ourselves attracted to data that support what I think we want to hear. And I wanted to hear...read...this book, which I was sure would confirm what I had been thinking for two years plus. I'd read Wolff's creative nonfiction and dismissed it as drivel with kernels of truth. This, feels of more than kernels. And I knew that I would set aside my other readings when it came in. Which is what I did.This is more than recent events. It is a career. I see Comey offering in passing core elements of essential leadership that I have learned and try to practice. I see Comey offering candid humility - he does not shy from his mistakes and failings. I see Comey offering an explanation as to why he served, why he refused to compromise, why he felt compelled to share his experiences.Right from the start, Comey hits with his understanding of ethical leadership, and how those who he worked for and interacted with measured (though he wasn't measuring, he can't help it...) - "Ethical leaders do not run from criticism, especially self-criticism, and they don’t hide from uncomfortable questions. They welcome them." This points hard later in the book. - "I don’t love criticism, but I know I can be wrong, even when I am certain I am right. Listening to others who disagree with me and are willing to criticize me is essential to piercing the seduction of certainty." Thoughtful admission and recognition of traps of power. - "Ethical leadership is also about understanding the truth about humans and our need for meaning." I will probably always have a hard time with "meaning"...but I get what he was trying to say. A theme throughout Comey's narrative, and his growth as a leader, was the recognition of the need for balance. He illustrates what he means with examples of good, even extraordinary balance (lawyer Dick Cates, an early mentor - "I saw in Dick kindness and toughness, confidence and humility. It would take me decades to realize that those pairs were the bedrock of great leadership. I also saw in this man of extraordinary judgment a fierce commitment to balance.", and President Barack Obama, someone he came to admire). He calls out examples of imbalance, especially extreme imbalance (on Rudy Giuliani: "It took me a while to realize that Giuliani’s confidence was not leavened with a whole lot of humility.", and President Obama's successor.) He does not mince words, although it is clear he made he words intentional. On personalities of presidents...George W. Bush: "President Bush had a good sense of humor, but often at other people’s expense." And Barack Obama: "Unlike Bush, though, I never saw a belittling edge to Obama’s humor, which in my view reflected his confidence."Much detail on the books is covered in other reviews, professional and amateur, but I'll highlight a few of my highlights.On taking on the Directorship, and speaking with the entire organization (in person and via video): I laid out my five expectations that first day and many times thereafter. Every new employee heard them, and I repeated them wherever I went in the organization: • I expected they would find joy in their work. They were part of an organization devoted to doing good, protecting the weak, rescuing the taken, and catching criminals. That was work with moral content. Doing it should be a source of great joy. • I expected they would treat all people with respect and dignity, without regard to position or station in life. • I expected they would protect the institution’s reservoir of trust and credibility that makes possible all their work. • I expected they would work hard, because they owe that to the taxpayer. • I expected they would fight for balance in their lives. These are good, and every leader should have values similar. Something that resonated strongly with me on a professional level: "The best leaders don’t care much about 'benchmarking,' comparing their organization to others. They know theirs is not good enough, and constantly push to get better." I have disliked benchmarking for my entire career and have had a hard time explaining why to people who think they do like it, or at least say they want it. Now I have some more words to help me.On listening (as a leader)...he says "Until I met my wife, I didn’t know what listening really was. Neither, at least in my experience, do most people in Washington, D.C." And, I can recall a meeting in the Situation Room about a classified technology topic where President Obama asked some Silicon Valley whiz kid without a tie sitting against the wall what he thought of the discussion the formally dressed leaders of the nation’s military and intelligence agencies had just had at the table. The shaggy dude then contradicted several of us. Obama hunted for points of view. Maybe it was a legacy of his life as a professor, cold-calling someone in the back row. I preach and live by four very important words in my management/engineering world: "What do you think?" I can and will still make decisions, but I also know I can be wrong. Comey gave me four more words to consider: "'What am I missing?' Good leaders constantly worry about their limited ability to see."On the pervasive theme of truth: I tried to foster an atmosphere at the FBI where people would tell me the truth.Another Jim-ism is "Don't tell me what you think I want to hear. Tell me what I really want to hear." Sometimes - though I am always reluctant to admit it - what I really want to hear is painful or embarrassing to me. Or sometimes, simply that there is a problem that someone doesn't want to be embarrassed about or feel pain over.By the latter third of the book, he addresses the short period of his career that would be the stamp by which he was identified. Comey drops the institutional respect that his elected leader failed to earn, that Comey showed people who also had not earned but neither had betrayed. On a meeting, his description says a lot:This was the first time I’d ever seen Donald Trump face-to-face. He appeared shorter than he seemed on a debate stage with Hillary Clinton. Otherwise, as I looked at the president-elect, I was struck that he looked exactly the same in person as on television, which surprised me because people most often look different in person. His suit jacket was open and his tie too long, as usual. His face appeared slightly orange, with bright white half-moons under his eyes where I assumed he placed small tanning goggles, and impressively coiffed, bright blond hair, which upon close inspection looked to be all his. I remember wondering how long it must take him in the morning to get that done. As he extended his hand, I made a mental note to check its size. It was smaller than mine, but did not seem unusually so.On a one-on-one extremely unusual and awkward private dinner at the White House, Comey noticed the ornate card on his plate and the exchange that followed with his host is telling:“They write these things out one at a time, by hand,” he marveled, referring to the White House staff. “A calligrapher,” I replied, nodding. He looked quizzical. “They write them by hand,” he repeated.On the loyalty question, Comey opens the book with something I hadn't thought of...comparisons to the New York Mafia (Comey prosecuted John Gotti and others and has an incredible access to the inner workings through Sammy the Bull) and the loyalty demand:In that moment, something else occurred to me: The “leader of the free world,” the self-described great business tycoon, didn’t understand leadership. Ethical leaders never ask for loyalty. Those leading through fear—like a Cosa Nostra boss—require personal loyalty. Ethical leaders care deeply about those they lead, and offer them honesty and decency, commitment and their own sacrifice. They have a confidence that breeds humility. Ethical leaders know their own talent but fear their own limitations—to understand and reason, to see the world as it is and not as they wish it to be. They speak the truth and know that making wise decisions requires people to tell them the truth. And to get that truth, they create an environment of high standards and deep consideration—“love” is not too strong a word—that builds lasting bonds and makes extraordinary achievement possible. It would never occur to an ethical leader to ask for loyalty.Spot on. As to why he wrote a memo after that loyalty one-on-one, something he never felt the need to do with either of the two previous presidents:I needed to protect the FBI and myself because I couldn’t trust this person to tell the truth about our conversations. "This person". Telling, perhaps, more than anything else in this book.There's more. But I won't belabor it. This won't change any minds. It confirms what I knew and suspected. It fits my confirmation bias that I am fully aware of. Yes, it seems a catharsis, and so out of character for someone who spent a lifetime trying to not be in the spotlight. That alone should telegraph the gravity of concern. That Comey exposes himself like this means he is still serving the (true) higher loyalty. He knows his country deserves to know the danger it has installed.