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Saving Justice: Truth, Transparency, and Trust
James Comey, former FBI Director and bestselling author of A Higher Loyalty, uses his long career in federal law enforcement to explore issues of justice and fairness in the US justice system.
James Comey might best be known as the FBI director that Donald Trump fired in 2017, but he’s had a long, varied career in the law and justice system. He knows better than most just what a force for good the US justice system can be, and how far afield it has strayed during the Trump Presidency.
In his much-anticipated follow-up to A Higher Loyalty, Comey uses anecdotes and lessons from his career to show how the federal justice system works. From prosecuting mobsters as an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York in the 1980s to grappling with the legalities of anti-terrorism work as the Deputy Attorney General in the early 2000s to, of course, his tumultuous stint as FBI director beginning in 2013, Comey shows just how essential it is to pursue the primacy of truth for federal law enforcement. Saving Justice is gracefully written and honestly told, a clarion call for a return to fairness and equity in the law.
James Comey might best be known as the FBI director that Donald Trump fired in 2017, but he’s had a long, varied career in the law and justice system. He knows better than most just what a force for good the US justice system can be, and how far afield it has strayed during the Trump Presidency.
In his much-anticipated follow-up to A Higher Loyalty, Comey uses anecdotes and lessons from his career to show how the federal justice system works. From prosecuting mobsters as an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York in the 1980s to grappling with the legalities of anti-terrorism work as the Deputy Attorney General in the early 2000s to, of course, his tumultuous stint as FBI director beginning in 2013, Comey shows just how essential it is to pursue the primacy of truth for federal law enforcement. Saving Justice is gracefully written and honestly told, a clarion call for a return to fairness and equity in the law.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 12, 2021
372 people are currently reading
2722 people want to read
About the author
James B. Comey
14Ìýbooks688ÌýfollowersJames Brien Comey Jr. (born December 14, 1960) is an American lawyer who served as the seventh Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from September 4, 2013 until his dismissal on May 9, 2017. Comey was a registered Republican for most of his life, but has recently described himself as unaffiliated.
Comey was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from January 2002 to December 2003, and subsequently the United States Deputy Attorney General from December 2003 to August 2005 in the administration of President George W. Bush. Comey appointed Patrick Fitzgerald to be the Special Counsel to head the grand jury investigation into the Plame affair after Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself.
In August 2005, Comey left the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and became general counsel and senior vice president of Lockheed Martin, based in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2010, he became general counsel at Bridgewater Associates, based in Westport, Connecticut. In early 2013, he left Bridgewater to become a Senior Research Scholar and Hertog Fellow on National Security Law at Columbia Law School. He served on the board of directors of HSBC Holdings until July 2013.
In September 2013, Comey was appointed Director of the FBI by President Barack Obama. In that capacity, he was responsible for overseeing the FBI's investigation of the Hillary Clinton email controversy. His role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, particularly with regard to his public communications, was highly controversial. His decisions are viewed by some analysts as having possibly cost Clinton the election. Comey also received heavy criticism from Republicans, in part after it was revealed that he had begun drafting an exoneration letter for Clinton before the investigation was complete.
Comey was dismissed by President Donald Trump on May 9, 2017. Statements from Trump and the White House suggested that he had been dismissed to ease the "pressure" Trump was under due to the Russia investigation. On May 16 Comey released his internal FBI memo he had written after a February 14 private meeting with the president. It said Trump had asked him to end the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn, the former National Security Advisor. The dismissal, the memo, and Comey's subsequent Congressional testimony were interpreted by some commentators as evidence of obstruction of justice and became part of a widening investigation by Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel appointed to probe Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Comey was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from January 2002 to December 2003, and subsequently the United States Deputy Attorney General from December 2003 to August 2005 in the administration of President George W. Bush. Comey appointed Patrick Fitzgerald to be the Special Counsel to head the grand jury investigation into the Plame affair after Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself.
In August 2005, Comey left the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and became general counsel and senior vice president of Lockheed Martin, based in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2010, he became general counsel at Bridgewater Associates, based in Westport, Connecticut. In early 2013, he left Bridgewater to become a Senior Research Scholar and Hertog Fellow on National Security Law at Columbia Law School. He served on the board of directors of HSBC Holdings until July 2013.
In September 2013, Comey was appointed Director of the FBI by President Barack Obama. In that capacity, he was responsible for overseeing the FBI's investigation of the Hillary Clinton email controversy. His role in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, particularly with regard to his public communications, was highly controversial. His decisions are viewed by some analysts as having possibly cost Clinton the election. Comey also received heavy criticism from Republicans, in part after it was revealed that he had begun drafting an exoneration letter for Clinton before the investigation was complete.
Comey was dismissed by President Donald Trump on May 9, 2017. Statements from Trump and the White House suggested that he had been dismissed to ease the "pressure" Trump was under due to the Russia investigation. On May 16 Comey released his internal FBI memo he had written after a February 14 private meeting with the president. It said Trump had asked him to end the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn, the former National Security Advisor. The dismissal, the memo, and Comey's subsequent Congressional testimony were interpreted by some commentators as evidence of obstruction of justice and became part of a widening investigation by Robert Mueller, the Special Counsel appointed to probe Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
February 23, 2021
I wolfed down James Comey’s A Higher Loyalty like it was a bag of potato chips after two weeks on a juice cleanse. Couldn’t get enough of it and immediately wanted more once I’d finished.
So Comey’s like, here, have another bag! Shoves Saving Justice into my hands.
And I say, heck yes gimme it!
But you know what happens when you get too much of a good thing.
Sad to say I think that’s what Saving Justice is. Even though I thought I wanted it, I didn’t need it. The two books are so similar that I had trouble discerning the differences. Sure, in SL he spends more time going into his years investigating and prosecuting the mafia, and those chapters are very interesting. But he also bookends SL with the same Donald Trump stories he covered in AHL. Spoiler alert - he really, really, really dislikes that guy. Oh, and William Barr too.
Ultimately I think the January 12, 2021 publication date of Saving Justice is its downfall. If he had just written his follow up a few months later, he would have been able to include his perspective on Trump’s final days in office - including the pardons of Trump allies and the January 6th storming of the US Capitol. Maybe he’ll write a third book to cover all that. I’m sure I’ll read it if he does, although at this point I’ve already been over served.
So Comey’s like, here, have another bag! Shoves Saving Justice into my hands.
And I say, heck yes gimme it!
But you know what happens when you get too much of a good thing.
Sad to say I think that’s what Saving Justice is. Even though I thought I wanted it, I didn’t need it. The two books are so similar that I had trouble discerning the differences. Sure, in SL he spends more time going into his years investigating and prosecuting the mafia, and those chapters are very interesting. But he also bookends SL with the same Donald Trump stories he covered in AHL. Spoiler alert - he really, really, really dislikes that guy. Oh, and William Barr too.
Ultimately I think the January 12, 2021 publication date of Saving Justice is its downfall. If he had just written his follow up a few months later, he would have been able to include his perspective on Trump’s final days in office - including the pardons of Trump allies and the January 6th storming of the US Capitol. Maybe he’ll write a third book to cover all that. I’m sure I’ll read it if he does, although at this point I’ve already been over served.
February 3, 2021
3.5 stars
James Comey
Former FBI Director James Comey became infamous for the way he handled the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation in 2016, which many people think resulted in Donald Trump's election. In his first memoir, , Comey explains the Clinton incident from his point of view, in an attempt to justify what he did.
Hillary Clinton
This second memoir is about Comey's life and career, including memorable cases he was involved with. Still, Comey apparently feels the need to double down about the Clinton business and he repeatedly emphasizes the need for 'honesty' to maintain public trust. Then, in the concluding chapters, Comey implicitly uses 'honesty' as a rationalization for his actions vis a vis Clinton. Moreover, Comey blames Robert Mueller - who was too upright to say Trump is a crook in plain English - for empowering Trump to lie to the American public.
Robert Mueller
Comey is especially critical of Trump co-opting the Justice Department. Comey notes, "From the beginning, America built and nurtured institutions to find truth." However, this ideal is hard to achieve, and Comey admits the justice system often falls short: innocent people get convicted, too many people of color go to jail, and too many poor people lack decent representation. Still, Comey believes the United States Department of Justice was relatively trustworthy until Trump made Bill Barr attorney general.
Donald Trump
Bill Barr
Attorney General Barr and other Trump loyalists served the interests of the president rather than those of the country, and the damage they did is enormous and must be repaired.
All that said, the Trump administration is in the past, and will be discussed by pundits, writers, and historians for decades. Thus I'm going to talk about other parts of the book.
Early in Comey's career as a federal prosecutor he dealt with a case that was "kind of cool." A man calling himself Michael Anderson posed as a U.S. government employee and tried to rent a top-floor luxury apartment in Manhattan. Anderson was arrested and found to be an illegal Iranian national with a huge array of weapons. While awaiting trial, the Iranian and two cellmates, who were housed in a seventh floor prison cell, made a rope out of dental floss and escaped out a window.
The prisoners were captured, and the Iranian went on to flee once again. Luckily (for America) the Iranian was eventually detained, tried, and sentenced to a long prison term.
A robbery in Manhattan's fur district netted the crooks 121 fur coats and 8,180 fur pelts - and left the owner and his foreman tied up in the fur company's vault. The insurance company suspected an inside job and contacted the FBI. The FBI did a minute by minute re-creation of the alleged crime and discovered that the theft - as described by the victims - was impossible. The insurance company didn't pay up. 🙂
As an example of being honest with the American people, Comey relates a story about President Bush's decision to hold an American citizen named Jose Padilla in military custody as an 'enemy combatant.'
Jose Padilla
This was almost unprecedented and many people - who didn't know the reasons for Padilla's detention - made a fuss. Comey arranged to release an unclassified summary of Padilla's involvement with Al Qaeda, so Americans could understand the threat he represented. Comey observes, "Transparency was essential to trust."
Comey also relates stories about the FBI bugging Mafia boss John Gotti;
John Gotti
the complications of protecting a criminal in the WITSEC program;
the church shooter Dylann Storm Roof being able to buy a gun because of an inadvertent error by an FBI employee;
Dylann Storm Roof
wrongful convictions that were overturned; and much more.
On a personal note, Comey tells tales about his private life, his wife Patrice, and their five children.
James Comey with his wife, Patrice Failor, and their children
Comey did his best to balance work and family, and speaks about bathing the children, reading to them, putting them to bed, etc. Comey also admits that his career upended the family time after time, and required moves from Virginia to New York and back again. Through all this the family lived in a variety of abodes, ranging from small apartments to extended stay hotels to modest houses. Sometimes, Comey and his wife had to sit out in hotel hallways to talk, so the kids wouldn't hear. (Patrice was a great sport in my opinion.)
James Comey and his wife Patrice Failor
Comey also relates amusing stories about his height, 6' 8", which once forced him to 'manspread' during a television interview with Katie Couric in a cramped space. (Comey's mother would have disapproved.)
After Comey reminds us of President Trump's inappropriate attempts to enlist his 'loyalty' when he was FBI director (detailed in ) Comey observes, "It is time for America to move past a fallen and corrupt president and turn to the work of restoration. There is much to do, but the recipe is simple. Tell the American people the truth, about everything." To that I say amen.
There aren't any spectacular revelations in the book, but I like stories about the legal system, so I enjoyed Comey's anecdotes about his work as a prosecutor, private attorney, and FBI director.
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January 14, 2021
“The institutions of justice [Trump] attempted to degrade, the concept of truth he attacked must be repaired and strengthened. Like a virus, the pandemic of lies will return. Too many slippery people have gained power and money from it so they will attempt to use it again. To be ready, our institutions must be stronger and more resilient.�
The federal justice system is supposed to operate without political interference, but under Trump and Barr “The traditional blindfold on Lady Justice was gone. It had been replaced with a MAGA hat.� (Comey gives Sessions a pass here. I completely disagree with him.). The author thinks that the damage done can be corrected if we return to a pattern of truth and transparency, which will result in renewed trust in our institutions. Let’s hope he is right.
The beginning of the book consists in the telling of a lot of war stories about criminal prosecutions in which the author participated. Some interested me, others did not. Generally, they were intended to illustrate the importance of being truthful about even seemingly minor details, and fessing up to mistakes. Most of the rest of the book rehashes the 2016 election, Russian interference and Clinton emails.
I thought that the author’s prior book, “A Higher Loyalty� was more interesting. However, Comey flat out calls Trump a racist, so I am rounding my 3.5 star rating up to 4.
The federal justice system is supposed to operate without political interference, but under Trump and Barr “The traditional blindfold on Lady Justice was gone. It had been replaced with a MAGA hat.� (Comey gives Sessions a pass here. I completely disagree with him.). The author thinks that the damage done can be corrected if we return to a pattern of truth and transparency, which will result in renewed trust in our institutions. Let’s hope he is right.
The beginning of the book consists in the telling of a lot of war stories about criminal prosecutions in which the author participated. Some interested me, others did not. Generally, they were intended to illustrate the importance of being truthful about even seemingly minor details, and fessing up to mistakes. Most of the rest of the book rehashes the 2016 election, Russian interference and Clinton emails.
I thought that the author’s prior book, “A Higher Loyalty� was more interesting. However, Comey flat out calls Trump a racist, so I am rounding my 3.5 star rating up to 4.
January 12, 2021
I love the Washington Post’s description of James Comey. He found a second career as a public intellectual. Saving Justice is more of a manual for helping the US to rebuild the justice system after Trump took dynamite to justice. It looks at the values Trump has tried to destroy and an accounting of why these values matter. There’s a reason that Comey’s second book is being published just before the inauguration of President Biden.
February 2, 2021
You know how in Hollywood, if a movie is a success, the studio immediately cranks out an inferior sequel? That's what this is.
Comey's A Higher Loyalty was timely and interesting. And it was a monster bestseller. Someone wants to cash in on that, and they've failed. The first three quarters of this book is full of the stories and anecdotes that weren't quite good enough to make it into the earlier book. The last quarter is a rehashing--Again!--of Clinton and Trump, without anything remotely fresh or new to add.
This book is not terrible; it's just completely unnecessary.
Comey's A Higher Loyalty was timely and interesting. And it was a monster bestseller. Someone wants to cash in on that, and they've failed. The first three quarters of this book is full of the stories and anecdotes that weren't quite good enough to make it into the earlier book. The last quarter is a rehashing--Again!--of Clinton and Trump, without anything remotely fresh or new to add.
This book is not terrible; it's just completely unnecessary.
March 16, 2021
Solid book, but for someone who follows policy closely it may not be all that stimulating. Nothing particularly 'wrong' with it, but it did fall a bit flat for me. I feel like it could easily be compressed into an hour long podcast, or something like that... There just didn't seem to be much meat there. Not much was added to the conversation.
The first 3/4s or so was dedicated largely to his earlier career, and while it was relatively interesting, (prosecuting mafia members, in particular), and somewhat paved the way for the latter stages of the book, it certainly wasn't spell binding; and again, it wasn't exactly ADDING to the conversation in a relevant or meaningful way. The last quarter or so of the book, though, was definitely more interesting. I enjoyed hearing his perspective on the Trump presidency, as well as his thoughts on where the DOJ could/should head from here.
I almost wish he'd waited a bit longer to release this book and spent a little more time on the current state of affairs, but I digress.
The first 3/4s or so was dedicated largely to his earlier career, and while it was relatively interesting, (prosecuting mafia members, in particular), and somewhat paved the way for the latter stages of the book, it certainly wasn't spell binding; and again, it wasn't exactly ADDING to the conversation in a relevant or meaningful way. The last quarter or so of the book, though, was definitely more interesting. I enjoyed hearing his perspective on the Trump presidency, as well as his thoughts on where the DOJ could/should head from here.
I almost wish he'd waited a bit longer to release this book and spent a little more time on the current state of affairs, but I digress.
January 16, 2021
Excellent read! James Comey outlines his career from a district attorney thru the Department of Justice and finally as director of the FBI where Trump fires him. The way he writes this it reflects about him and the department's lessons in truth. He even gives a blue print for helping restoring the validity of the department in a post Trump world. What he does not anticipate is Secretary of Justice Barr's final actions to thwart the the presidential falsehoods on the national election. These actions do not exonerate Barr in his actions on the Mueller report but does a lot to keep the Department of Justice from not legitimizing the Trump falsehoods on the election. Thank God.
Again an excellent read!
Again an excellent read!
February 14, 2021
I expected way more than just a fragmentary biography. It’s not even a memoir. Higher Loyalty was amazing, this one was quite disappointing.
April 14, 2023
Moments of interesting autobiography combined with a painfully sanctimonious socio-political commentary. Bizarre read, the joys of picking up a book left behind in an airbnb!
April 5, 2024
I was going to say other stuff but Comey ended by saying he thinks the next president should pardon Trump and I'm just like bruh.
Comey's idealism is a bit much sometimes.
Comey's idealism is a bit much sometimes.
February 1, 2021
I'm a non-fiction reader, so this book was a stretch for me. I loved Comey's first book, A Higher Loyalty, maybe because at the time, it seemed so relevant to me to see what made the guy "tick". I actually became a fan, so tried his second book on justice. For me, it became more of a autobiography of Comey's rise from his first job to the head of the FBI. By far, the most enjoyable episode was tracking down three Iranian prisoners who escaped from jail using dental floss as their "rope". Hint: If you try this stunt at home, wear gloves. Prisons now give out floss in pre-cut lengths to prevent duplication of this brilliant idea in the future. If you're a Comey fan, give it a try.
February 10, 2021
Enjoyable, highly readable collection of stories from the career of the author, a former Deputy US Attorney General, FBI Director and Assistant US Attorney. Comey is an excellent storyteller (as evidenced in his first book, written in 2019) and he uses anecdotes and lessons from his career to show how the federal justice system works. As a Justice Department attorney and official, Comey prosecuted and interacted with mobsters, terrorists, major scammers and thieves, and had several colorful encounters with then-president Donald Trump. Comey writes that it is essential that truth be the primary principle for federal (and all) law enforcement.
February 19, 2021
This review covered most of it: /review/show...
Though I'd like to find out who this Richmond, Va political staffer was that was doing cocaine and sex orgies at their James River luxury home. Comey's bosses didn't really want him to prosecute them, so they looked in to the background of the 'heiress' (the parents...they weren't real or rich) and so the couple divorced as the dude's lifestyle wasn't going to be funded anymore. Brilliant.
I liked the mafia cases.
The integrity, honesty, trust of the waters in the reservoir analogy was good.
Though I'd like to find out who this Richmond, Va political staffer was that was doing cocaine and sex orgies at their James River luxury home. Comey's bosses didn't really want him to prosecute them, so they looked in to the background of the 'heiress' (the parents...they weren't real or rich) and so the couple divorced as the dude's lifestyle wasn't going to be funded anymore. Brilliant.
I liked the mafia cases.
The integrity, honesty, trust of the waters in the reservoir analogy was good.
March 1, 2021
This was more of a memoire then I originally thought. It wasn't bad, but I didn't feel like the title delivered what it promised. The short stories do illuminate some of the nuances of justice and a lawyers role in making sure that it is served, no matter how minute it may feel at the moment. My favorite short story was the one with the drughouse and the throwaway line about the money. It illustrates just how important it is to make sure everyone gets a correct trial, where the evidence is correct, even though it isn't of huge importance for the outcome of the case in general.
March 2, 2021
Enjoyed it. Read like a continuation of his first book. I did enjoy the more in depth anecdotes from his career. He doesn’t like Donald Trump and made sure to once again drive that point home. I enjoy James Comey and his style of writing. He doesn’t pander but gives his opinion and insight. Reading this gives me a bit of (naive?) hope that there are people who seek to tell the truth for truths sake regardless of partisanship.
January 29, 2021
Inspirational
This is a good companion read to “A Higher Loyalty�. A very enjoyable and inspiring look at Comey’s life and work in the area of justice. An important look at what “blind� justice should look like and how the justice system can survive the damage done in the Trump years.
This is a good companion read to “A Higher Loyalty�. A very enjoyable and inspiring look at Comey’s life and work in the area of justice. An important look at what “blind� justice should look like and how the justice system can survive the damage done in the Trump years.
March 9, 2021
Listened/read this as an audiobook. I enjoy James Comey's writing. He's a good story teller. Any man who's willing to say that he knows "Goodnight, Moon" by heart is clearly a good person.
There was more about learning to save justice in the book than actually saving justice. The last section covers Comey's thoughts on how exactly to save justice. Comey learned to be as impartial as possible over the course of his career, but it's always a struggle to maintain that. Especially in the recent cases he had to handle that were inherently political.
But if you're here for public policy on actually saving justice, if you're here for specifics, you'll be disappointed.
Instead Comey treats you to in-depth write-ups of some of his cases both for the government and as a defense attorney. He advocates both for the government and defense lawyers, having the experience to recognize why both are necessary.
The Feds are supposed to hold themselves accountible (as their client is the lofty idea of "justice") but sometimes they don't, or sometimes they fail to. The people who work for the FBI, the Main Justice Department, the Southern District of New York, all the way down to individual judges and police officers are human and sometimes screw up. Comey goes in detail into some of his character flaws and mistakes he made and what he learned from them.
There was a clear, honest, and really good effort for this book to be not full of dense legalese and jargon. This effort was successful for the most part. Comey at times lapses into almost defining his own jargon which is made of vernacular words which are used so specifically as to become more technical. Comey's word choice as writer and tone as audiobook reader make this an easy, fast read.
These lessons are good ones, but I bet the people who need them won't be reading.
Recommended for: anyone who liked Comey's previous book, moderate Democrats, moderate Republicans, political junkies.
There was more about learning to save justice in the book than actually saving justice. The last section covers Comey's thoughts on how exactly to save justice. Comey learned to be as impartial as possible over the course of his career, but it's always a struggle to maintain that. Especially in the recent cases he had to handle that were inherently political.
But if you're here for public policy on actually saving justice, if you're here for specifics, you'll be disappointed.
Instead Comey treats you to in-depth write-ups of some of his cases both for the government and as a defense attorney. He advocates both for the government and defense lawyers, having the experience to recognize why both are necessary.
The Feds are supposed to hold themselves accountible (as their client is the lofty idea of "justice") but sometimes they don't, or sometimes they fail to. The people who work for the FBI, the Main Justice Department, the Southern District of New York, all the way down to individual judges and police officers are human and sometimes screw up. Comey goes in detail into some of his character flaws and mistakes he made and what he learned from them.
There was a clear, honest, and really good effort for this book to be not full of dense legalese and jargon. This effort was successful for the most part. Comey at times lapses into almost defining his own jargon which is made of vernacular words which are used so specifically as to become more technical. Comey's word choice as writer and tone as audiobook reader make this an easy, fast read.
These lessons are good ones, but I bet the people who need them won't be reading.
Recommended for: anyone who liked Comey's previous book, moderate Democrats, moderate Republicans, political junkies.
January 23, 2021
5-
This is a book that every citizen should read, however they may feel about James Comey himself. My own opinions of his actions are often conflicted. However, there is no question of his dedication to the Law in its highest sense. At his most basic core, he believes that a prosecutor's greatest obligation is to find the Truth rather than obtain a conviction in a case. As FBI Director, he worked for the People and was pledged to defend his interpretation of The Constitution; he was not a servant of any president, even while he acknowledged that he served "at the pleasure of the president."
Much of this book relates cases he handed at various stages of his long career. They were chosen to show how his mentors sometimes forced him to do the right thing even when that action was hard and painful. From these experiences, he developed an adamantine devotion to transparency and truth above all else, whatever the consequences, whoever they impacted. He could easily be considered a zealot with all of the positive and negative implications this imparts to a true believer. He would be a fair, but uncompromising boss, husband, or parent, firmly steadfast in his ethics--not an easy man, in other words.
His book is important, not because the reader agrees or disagrees profoundly with his choices and decisions, but because he passionately presents an idealized view of what our democracy means, impossible to achieve but a goal always be striven to achieve. He speaks with logic and clarity, and helped me better understand the vital role of law and government in our representative democracy. It's a fairly short volume but contains much to consider and information that all free citizens have an obligation to know and interpret.
This is a book that every citizen should read, however they may feel about James Comey himself. My own opinions of his actions are often conflicted. However, there is no question of his dedication to the Law in its highest sense. At his most basic core, he believes that a prosecutor's greatest obligation is to find the Truth rather than obtain a conviction in a case. As FBI Director, he worked for the People and was pledged to defend his interpretation of The Constitution; he was not a servant of any president, even while he acknowledged that he served "at the pleasure of the president."
Much of this book relates cases he handed at various stages of his long career. They were chosen to show how his mentors sometimes forced him to do the right thing even when that action was hard and painful. From these experiences, he developed an adamantine devotion to transparency and truth above all else, whatever the consequences, whoever they impacted. He could easily be considered a zealot with all of the positive and negative implications this imparts to a true believer. He would be a fair, but uncompromising boss, husband, or parent, firmly steadfast in his ethics--not an easy man, in other words.
His book is important, not because the reader agrees or disagrees profoundly with his choices and decisions, but because he passionately presents an idealized view of what our democracy means, impossible to achieve but a goal always be striven to achieve. He speaks with logic and clarity, and helped me better understand the vital role of law and government in our representative democracy. It's a fairly short volume but contains much to consider and information that all free citizens have an obligation to know and interpret.
April 4, 2023
A great book. Written by a man who clearly has the highest moral principles. An insider’s view of the American Department of Justice, and Comey’s career in law. Some great stories, culminating in how Trump tried to exert his influence on an organisation that in our country we take for granted as being completely separate from politics.
January 27, 2021
I am not sure just how fair my review of this book will be. Since I have worked in the justice system, I found the book to be quite simplistic.
If you have no exposure to the legal system, this book might meet your needs. Mr.Comey presents a case, and then he explains what he personally learned from the case. Using this format gives the reader an incite to the building of a lawyer.
If you have no exposure to the legal system, this book might meet your needs. Mr.Comey presents a case, and then he explains what he personally learned from the case. Using this format gives the reader an incite to the building of a lawyer.
January 31, 2021
The thread of the book can be lost at times due to the depth it reaches however it does still illustrate the importance of truth in any encounter. It is also a great book for those who love a good crime story, specifically those dealing with the mafia.
January 17, 2021
Good very good.
January 27, 2021
The book is disappointing because it is a retread of Higher Loyalty plus an autobiography of Comey's legal career which reads like Law & Order. I was hoping for a philosophical read based upon his teachings about the importance of an independent judicial and enforcement system pure from political corruption.
March 1, 2021
Some rehashing from his previous book, but some interesting stories that have nothing to do with his last years in the FBI, but during his time as Federal prosecutor.
April 27, 2021
First book is much better.
February 6, 2025
It's difficult to fix what the former and now current president has done to the department of Justice but, it is not impossible. Ethical and moral leaders are needed in the justice department.
March 27, 2021
Not as interesting as Higher Loyalty with a few repeated stories. Not bad but seemed unnecessary. I really wish he had waited until after the 2020 election.
February 27, 2021
I highly recommend this book! I was impressed with Comey's transparency and candor about both his personal failures and successes as well as those of the FBI.
Read
November 17, 2024I am not much of a non-fiction reader, but this book grabbed me and kept me reading. Comey reads it himself. I learned a lot about the US Federal Justice system, and Mr Comey's stories , conviction, and recommendations are especially relevant right now. (Late 2024()
January 6, 2023
Pretty interesting but somewhat repetitive.
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