James Comey may not be at the helm of the FBI anymore, but I wouldn’t shed too many tears over his employment status. Even though he’s no longer at the top of the nation’s most prestigious law enforcement bureau, he’s still going to be making plenty of cash.
According to Fox News, James Comey may be paid $10 million for a tell-all book detailing his time at the FBI — in particular, his dealings with President Donald Trump and the Hillary Clinton email server investigation.
“Jim Comey’s story has everything. From White House intrigue to possible corruption. His explosive story makes ‘West Wing’ and ‘House of Cards’ on a par with Mister Rogers,” an unnamed publishing executive told the U.K. Daily Mail.
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“When his proposal hits my desk, I’ve already been authorized to offer $10 million.”
Comey has long been rumored to be a possible candidate to receive a fat check for writing a book — which, unfortunately, probably won’t receive the title it deserves, “The Seven Habits of Highly Incompetent People.” However, the report from the Mail was one of the first indications that the former FBI head could be about to cash in big time.
Another indication that he might be about to rake in the big bucks came during his Senate Intelligence Committee hearing last Thursday, in which he told California Sen. Kamala Harris that he was “between opportunities right now.” Oh, I bet.
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It’s worth pointing out that these political memoirs often don’t sell as well as the publishing industry might hope. Hillary Clinton’s “Hard Choices” was a notorious flop, in spite of the fact that it was supposed to be a tell-all detailing all of the, um, hard choices she made at the State Department. (You know, like not sending backup into Benghazi.)
Part of the problem is that these memoirs tend to be self-hagiographies in which the individuals tend to lionize themselves and minimize any mistakes or unpleasant moments that might reflect badly upon them. Comey’s memoir will no doubt paint him as the last true Boy Scout, a man who made all the right decisions and never sought to inject himself into the political narrative.
If Comey wants to write such a book, more power to him. The price is certainly right. However, I — like many Americans, I surmise — have no intention of reading such a self-serving document, and I would implore America’s booksellers to do the right thing and place the tome in the historical fiction section.
H/T The Hill
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