Trump-Comey Dinner: Criminal Act Or Not?

Former US President Donald Trump's private dinner with then-FBI Director James Comey has raised questions about whether Trump attempted to interfere with an ongoing FBI investigation. The dinner, which took place on January 27, 2017, just one week into Trump's presidency, has been described by Comey in his book, 'A Higher Loyalty', as well as in his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee. According to Comey, Trump asked for his loyalty during the dinner and discussed whether Comey wanted to stay on as FBI Director. This interaction has led to speculation about whether Trump's intentions were to create a patronage relationship with Comey and influence the FBI's investigation into Trump's alleged connections with Russia.

Trump's loyalty request of Comey

In January 2017, former FBI Director James Comey had a private dinner with President Donald Trump. Comey recounted the details of this meeting in his book, "A Higher Loyalty", which was later adapted into a TV series called "The Comey Rule".

During the dinner, Trump asked Comey for a pledge of loyalty to him, personally, which Comey refused to give. Comey was taken aback by the request, and instead pledged to always be honest with the President. Trump then asked if Comey would pledge “honest loyalty”, to which Comey agreed.

Comey's refusal to pledge loyalty is believed to be one of the reasons Trump fired him. Comey's written testimony, submitted to the Senate Intelligence Committee, confirms that he believed the dinner was an attempt by Trump to create a “patronage relationship”, which concerned him due to the FBI's traditionally independent status.

The timing of the dinner also raised questions about whether Trump was attempting to interfere with an ongoing FBI investigation into National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, which could be considered a federal offense.

Comey's refusal to pledge loyalty

In his book, *A Higher Loyalty*, former FBI director James Comey details a private dinner he had with President Donald Trump, during which Trump asked him to pledge his loyalty. According to Comey, this dinner took place on January 27, 2017, a month after they first met, and just a week after Trump was sworn in as president.

Comey writes that he was initially wary of attending the dinner, but ultimately decided he could not turn down a meeting with the new president. During the meal, Comey says he tried to explain to Trump how he saw his role as FBI director, emphasising the importance of an independent FBI and Justice Department.

However, when Trump asked Comey if he would pledge his loyalty, Comey refused, instead promising that he would always be honest with the president, but that he was not "reliable" in the conventional political sense. Comey writes that Trump pressed him further, asking for "honest loyalty", to which Comey replied, "you will have that".

Comey's unease at the dinner

Comey's instincts told him that the one-on-one setting and the pretense that this was their first discussion about his position as FBI Director indicated that Trump was seeking something in return for having given him the job. Comey also found it strange that Trump asked if he wanted to stay on as FBI Director, as Trump had already told him twice before that he hoped he would continue in the role.

The conversation and the context of the dinner concerned Comey enough that he wrote a memo immediately afterward and shared it with the FBI leadership team. He also detailed the dinner in his book, "A Higher Loyalty," where he notes that the experience was "bizarre" and "strange."

Comey's unease was further validated by the timing of the dinner. It took place on January 27, just days after the Justice Department had reason to believe that National Security Adviser Michael Flynn may have been compromised by the Russians. This raised questions about whether Trump was attempting to interfere with an ongoing FBI investigation, which would be a federal offense.

In summary, Comey's unease at the dinner stemmed from his perception that Trump was seeking a patronage relationship, the private nature of the meeting, the timing in relation to the Flynn investigation, and the overall strangeness of the experience.

Trump's awareness of the FBI's interest in Flynn

On January 24, 2017, Michael Flynn, the National Security Advisor, was interviewed by the FBI. Three days later, on January 26, Acting Attorney General Sally Yates informed the White House counsel of the Justice Department's suspicions that Flynn may have been compromised by the Russians. Yates returned the following day, January 27, to continue the discussion.

That same evening, Trump had a private dinner with then-FBI Director James Comey. Comey, in his book, *A Higher Loyalty*, writes that Trump asked him for his loyalty. According to Comey, he declined to pledge his loyalty and instead told Trump that he would always be honest with him but was not "reliable" in the conventional political sense. Comey also writes that he believed the dinner was set up to create a "patronage relationship" between them, with Trump expecting loyalty and quid pro quos in return for giving Comey his job.

Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed that Trump was aware of the FBI's interest in Flynn, stating that the "White House Counsel briefed the President and a small group of senior advisors" after being notified of the situation by the Department of Justice.

Trump's private dinner with Comey, in the context of these warnings about Flynn, raises questions about whether Trump attempted to interfere with an ongoing FBI investigation, which would be a federal offense.

Trump's firing of Comey

On April 13, 2018, former US President Donald Trump took to Twitter to call former FBI Director James Comey a "proven LEAKER & LIAR", claiming that Comey leaked classified information and lied to Congress under oath. Trump's tweet came just days before the release of Comey's memoir, 'A Higher Loyalty', which details a private dinner between the two men in January 2017.

In the book, Comey alleges that Trump demanded his loyalty during the dinner, which took place on January 27, 2017, just a few days after Trump's inauguration. Comey writes that he declined to pledge his loyalty and instead offered to give Trump "honesty". Comey also notes that he believed the dinner was set up to create a "patronage relationship" and that he felt it was inappropriate for the FBI director to meet privately with the president.

The official rationale for Comey's firing, as outlined in a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rob Rosenstein, focused on Comey's handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation. However, in his letter firing Comey, Trump mentioned that Comey had informed him multiple times that he was not under investigation regarding potential collusion with Russia. This raised questions about the true motivation behind Comey's dismissal, with critics arguing that Trump was trying to impede the Russia investigation.

Trump himself seemed to acknowledge the potential impact of Comey's firing on the Russia investigation, stating in an interview, "I might even lengthen out the investigation." Despite the controversy, legal experts noted that proving obstruction of justice in this case would be challenging, and no charges were brought against Trump related to Comey's dismissal.

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