Politics

James Comey Finally Tells His Side of the Story

“I need loyalty. I expect loyalty.” Those are the words James Comey will testify President Trump said to him at a January dinner when the former FBI director appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee Thursday.

In his prepared opening remarks, Comey describes multiple conversations he had at Trump’s initiative about the Russia investigation and whether its effect on his presidency could be mitigated. He recalls his unease with Trump’s habitual breaches of the traditional line separating the White House from federal law-enforcement agencies. And he depicts a president eager to create “some sort of patronage relationship” over him in an apparent effort to undermine the FBI’s independence and interfere with an ongoing investigation.