What would you do if you were asked to attend a meeting in the White House with President Donald J. Trump? No cameras or family members. No Secret Service. Just you and the president, sitting across from each other, having a conversation.
Former FBI Director James Comey had such a conversation over dinner with the president shortly after Trump was elected in 2016. Trump fired Comey in 2017. Comey has since shared with the world what he and the president discussed during that dinner meeting.
His memoir, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership,” published in 2018, detailed the conversation along with the ethical inconsistencies Comey claims he witnessed in Trump throughout their relationship.
“This president is unethical, and untethered to truth and institutional values,” Comey wrote. “His leadership is transactional, ego driven and about personal loyalty.”
Before working for Trump, Comey worked in the Bush and Obama administrations. Under Bush, he served as the deputy attorney general until Obama selected him in 2013 to lead the FBI. During this period, Comey never recorded any specific ethical issues involving either Bush or Obama.
According to Comey, Trump demanded loyalty from him during their meeting, then exerted pressure on Comey to cease the investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Now, Showtime has announced a miniseries that will bring Comey’s story to life. “The Comey Rule” is set to premiere in two parts, on Sept. 27 and 28, with Jeff Daniels playing Comey. President Trump will be depicted by another Emmy winner, Brendan Gleeson.
“Part one follows the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails and their impact on the election,” Showtime said. “Part two is an account of first months of the Trump presidency – where allies became enemies, enemies became friends and truth depended on what side you were on.”
The trailer dropped on Aug. 24, and since has received terrible, great and mixed reviews.
“This series fails to find anything provocative or narratively rich in Comey’s dismissal from government,” said Daniel D’Addario, a chief TV critic for Variety, “in part because we at home know the man never really went away.”
The chief television critic for the Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Fienberg, added, “There is both good and bad in this miniseries, but what I found most interesting was how its meaning shifts to fit your perception, and not the other way around.”
An intriguing aspect of “The Comey Rule” has nothing to do with the production itself but rather with the scheduled premiere dates. At the end of September, the show will run a little more than a month before the 2020 election.
Advertisements for both candidates fill the media. Americans have heard multiple speeches, promises and two very different campaigns. Now there is a miniseries dealing with Trump’s first term.
Regardless of your political persuasion, it’s important to recognize where your election information is coming from. It’s not reliable to limit your sources to one network or a semi-fictional miniseries. If you want to know the truth, you have to do your own research and come to your own conclusions.
Who do you believe will benefit the United States more? Which candidate recognizes the state of the world and wants to do something to fix it?
“The Comey Rule” is a TV show, a dramatization. If you want the real story, dive into what inspired the show. Read Comey’s book if you like. Learn about the last presidential election and what has transpired politically since then. Otherwise, come November, you might find yourself voting for someone based on fiction.
