Summary
The most remarkable parts of James Comey's memoir are not about Donald Trump.
As Comey recounts in detail, after 9/11 the Bush administration put in place a surveillance program called "Stellar Wind" that Justice Department lawyers decided, on review, was illegal.
White House Chief of Staff Andy Card and White House counsel Alberto Gonzales decided to head to Ashcroft's hospital room to pressure him to sign the reauthorization documents over Comey's objections. On learning of this, Comey raced to the hospital and asked then-FBI Director Robert Mueller to join him for moral support.
Comey believed they were not, as did the chief counsel at the Justice Department, Jack Goldsmith.
The story is really not just about Mueller and Comey but about the lawyers in various parts of the government who believe that it is crucial for the country that the government operate within the law – even if the president wishes otherwise.
Comey's memoir reveals that America does indeed have a deep state. It is one of law and lawyers.
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