James Comey. (Getty)
Hey, remember James Comey? He was the FBI Director until President Donald Trump fired him earlier this year. Why he was fired depends on who you ask, but it seems like we’ll get to the bottom of that sooner rather than later.
Since his dismissal Comey has maintained somewhat of a low profile, especially after appearing before the Senate Committee on Intelligence in June. However, as with most older adults basking in the sweet afternoon sunshine of retirement, Comey has found refuge in social media.
Comey has been active on Twitter since 2014, operating under the user name @ReinholdNeibuhr, a theologian who Comey studied extensively in college. He ditched the handle in November though, switching it out for the far less mysterious @Comey. On Friday morning, amidst the news of Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn pleading guilty to lying to the FBI and news breaking that he was cooperating with the Mueller investigation, Comey took to Twitter to (possibly) share his thoughts on the matter.
“But justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” Amos 5:24
And yes, you read that correctly. Comey is on Instagram now too.
Roughly two hours after sending out the tweet, it had been retweeted over 31,000 times and liked over 69,000 times. It had also amassed more than 6,000 replies, most of which either applauded his use of shade via Twitter or approved of his use of that particular Biblical verse.
Of course it being Twitter, the tweet was not able to escape scorn and casual ridicule. More than a handful of people highlighted his actions during the late stages of the 2016 presidential election. Some people just have a hard time letting things go I guess.
GettyPresident Donald Trump fired James Comey earlier this year
Comey’s Twitter feed consists mostly of choice inspirational quotes from people such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jane Adams and Thomas Jefferson. He’s also been one to document his travels and speaking engagements. Yet Friday morning’s social media missives were hardly the first time that a Comey tweet has been seen as a subtweet of Trump’s actions or of news breaking that related to the ongoing Russia investigations.
One of the more eye-catching tweets that may or may not have had something to do with the current president was sent out in early November and includes a quote from Reverend Charles Haddon Spurgeon: “If you want truth to go round the world you must hire an express train to pull it; but if you want a lie to go round the world, it will fly; it is light as a feather and a breath will carry it.”
The tweet featured a picture Comey would later tweet was of the Great Falls of Potomac.
“If you want truth to go round the world you must hire an express train to pull it; but if you want a lie to go round the world, it will fly; it is light as a feather and a breath will carry it.” Rev. Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1855).
Comey said he chose the picture “because it reminds me of my favorite scripture verse, from Amos: “But let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
On November 6th Trump responded to the mass shooting in Texas while in the midst of his first trip to Asia as president.
“This isn’t a guns situation,” he said, adding it was fortunate that “somebody else had a gun that was shooting in the opposite direction. “This is a mental health problem at the highest level. It’s a very, very sad event,”
A few days earlier Trump had been quoted saying that he was “very frustrated” he wasn’t able to tell the Department of Justice to go after Hillary Clinton.
“But you know the saddest thing is that because I’m the president of the United States I am not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department. I am not supposed to be involved with the FBI. I’m not supposed to be doing the kind of things that I would love to be doing. And I’m very frustrated by it. I look what’s happening with the Justice Department: Why aren’t they going after Hillary Clinton with her emails and with the dossier?”
The dossier mentioned is the one compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele that included numerous, potentially damaging bits of information about Trump. Comey had reportedly alerted Trump about the existence of the dossier earlier this year.
Either way, as Friday has gone on, it seems as if Comey has turned his attention to another matter.
With four daughters, this skit is funny, painful, and personal for me. All of us are responsible for the culture of our workplaces, which we protect by insisting on transparency and integrity. Weekend Update: Claire from HR – SNL t.co/Cpck2AOv8j via @YouTube