The Latest: White House says Comey's loyal 'only to himself'
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on former FBI Director James Comey (all times local):
3:25 p.m.
The White House has unleashed a blistering critique of former FBI Director James Comey as he begins promoting his memoir.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders talks to reporters during the daily press briefing in the Brady press briefing room at the White House, in Washington, Wednesday, April 11, 2018. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Comey will "be forever known as a disgraced partisan hack" after the publication of his book, "A Higher Loyalty." She adds that Comey's loyalty is "only to himself."
Sanders is accusing Comey of leaking classified information and breaking his "sacred trust with the president of the United States, the dedicated agents of the FBI, and the American people."
She adds: "I think it's very clear that Comey has a credibility problem."
In the book, Comey compares Trump to a mob boss and mocks the president's appearance.
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8:40 a.m.
Top White House aides are pushing back on a new book from former FBI director James Comey that depicts President Donald Trump as unethical and "untethered to the truth."
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Twitter Friday: "One of the few areas of true bipartisan consensus in Washington is Comey has no credibility."
And White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Comey "has a revisionist view of history and seems like a disgruntled ex-employee." She also took issue with some of Comey's personal commentary in the book, saying it was "no way to comport oneself after you're trying to prove that you have this quote, 'higher loyalty.'"
Trump fired Comey last May. In the book, Comey compares Trump to a mob boss who demands loyalty from all those around him, even if it means twisting the truth.
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8:30 a.m.
President Donald Trump says former FBI Director James Comey is an "untruthful slime ball" who should be prosecuted for leaking classified information. Trump tweets: "It was my great honor to fire him."
Trump is reacting to Comey's new book, which compares the president to an unethical mob boss who demands loyalty and twists facts to serve his purpose.
Trump wrote on Twitter Friday: "He is a weak and unethical slimeball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI. His handling of the Crooked Hillary Clinton case, and the events surrounding it, will go down as one of the worst "botch jobs" of history. It was my great honor to fire James Comey!"
The White House has denied that Trump ever encouraged Comey to end an investigation into former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn, an encounter that the fired FBI director memorialized in private notes that he later described to Congress. Trump has also accused Comey of leaking information by authorizing a friend to share with journalists details of the discussion about Flynn.
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12:40 p.m.
Former FBI Director James Comey blasts President Donald Trump as unethical and "untethered to truth" in a sharply critical new book. He describes Trump as fixated in the early days of his administration on having the FBI debunk salacious rumors he insisted were untrue but could distress his wife.
In the forthcoming book, Comey compares Trump to a mafia don and calls his leadership of the country "ego driven and about personal loyalty."
He also reveals new details about his interactions with Trump and his own decision-making in handling the Hillary Clinton email investigation before the 2016 election.
FILE - In this this Jan. 22, 2017, file photo, Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy stand as President Donald Trump shakes hands with then-FBI Director James Comey during a reception for inaugural law enforcement officers and first responders in the Blue Room of the White House in Washington. Comey is blasting Trump as "unethical and untethered to truth," and says Trump's leadership of the country is "ego driven and about personal loyalty." Comey's comments come in a new book in which he casts Trump as a mafia boss-like figure who sought to blur the line between law enforcement and politics. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
President Donald Trump speaks during an event on tax policy in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, April 12, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
FILE - In this June 8, 2017, file photo, former FBI director James Comey testifies before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Comey blasts President Donald Trump as unethical and "untethered to truth" and his leadership of the country as "transactional, ego driven and about personal loyalty." Comey's comments come in a new book in which he casts Trump as a mafia boss-like figure who sought to blur the line between law enforcement and politics and tried to pressure him regarding the investigation into Russian election interference. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
FILE - In this June 8, 2017 file photo, former FBI director James Comey speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Comey is blasting President Donald Trump as "unethical and untethered to truth," and says Trump's leadership of the country is "ego driven and about personal loyalty." Comey's comments come in a new book in which he casts Trump as a mafia boss-like figure who sought to blur the line between law enforcement and politics. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
