Shocking revelations about James Comey
Shocking revelations about James Comey
PLUS: How Donald Trump’s rhetoric is shockingly similar to Nazism
I love reading, and despite the general hideousness of this moment, there continues to be exceptional journalism that makes clear the dimensions of the abuse sustained by the American people at the hands of stupendously unfit, morally preening and narcissistic bullies who should never have been given a position of public responsibility over anything, ever.
Vanity Fair has proven the durability of the magazine and its editorial excellence by featuring an excerpt of Rob Copeland’s “The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend” in its November issue, which I just read. It focuses on the cult of personality around Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dialo and his firm with a deep exploration of the billionaire’s famous “Principles” and their application.
The excerpts are shocking for what they reveal about the character of James Comey, who would become the FBI director. He wrecked the reputation of federal law enforcement with a personal act of aggrandizement that directly interfered in the outcome of the 2016 election. That decision directly led to the narrow election of the most unhinged and despotic personality ever to reach the White House.
The book indicts the culture of Bridgewater as a hothouse of authoritarian nuttery: quasi-religious fanaticism and fantastical greed ruled by surveillance, fear and show trials presided over by a man they called “the Godfather” — James Comey — working to sate his emperor’s whims. It raises questions that deserve some pondering. How did this man ever become the FBI director? How did no news organization ever report on this before this book? Seriously, how is that possible?
These passages, excerpted in Vanity Fair are very disturbing, and demonstrate a police state mentality that is absolutely incompatible with the temperament that should be a key precondition for the nomination of any director. The reporting below is almost unbelievable, but is thus far unchallenged by the fanatical Comey, who would have thrived in Puritan Salem.
Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio, famed for devising a collection of so-called “Principles,” also made no secret of his hopes for the new hire. Dalio’s Principles, later adapted into a best-selling book and TED Talks, centered on a philosophy of “radical transparency” that involved tearing into the firm’s troublesome corners. They called for videotaped, internal “trials,” and investigations of even the smallest problems at the firm; these were often called “diagnoses” to find the “root cause.” Staff voted in real-time on disagreements. Dalio told staff that Comey would be like a godfather adjudicating it all.
What could go wrong?
There is a case study for this, actually. Ron Jones, a teacher at Cubberley High School in Palo Alto, while trying to teach his high school class how Hitler came to power, started an authoritarian movement that was chronicled and memorialized in a cult classic after school special called “The Third Wave.” Amazingly, a hedge fund billionaire and future FBI director recreated the experiment playing the role of Führer and secret police head.
A relatively new lawyer on Bridgewater’s staff, Leah Guggenheimer, had taken to The Principles with gusto. She ostensibly worked in the operational side of the organization, but had earned a reputation for hunting firmwide for “badness,” including writing up a colleague for failing to bring in bagels on the agreed-upon day. This went on long enough that her colleagues voted to let her go. Her salary was cut off.
Who doesn’t want to work in a climate where badness is hunted and a trial is around the corner?
Dalio caught wind and didn’t like the idea of penalizing an employee—even a tedious one—for speaking her mind. He called in Comey for a second opinion.
Comey seemed to sense an opening to impress his new boss.
Comey threw himself into the investigation. He listened to reams of meeting recordings and told Dalio that his review indicated the firing was justified.
There is something important to remember before continuing: Jim Comey’s $7 million per year job was the fruits of his government service. He was the venomous puppet, a coddled Lavrentiy Beria, serving in a mercenary role with zealous disregard for any sense of decency, right and wrong or basic justice. Before he was the lead investigator in a Captain Queeg-style strawberry search, he was the United States deputy attorney general. What a disgrace.
Dalio concluded that beyond adjudicating the blow by blow of the bagels, Comey had performed a poor diagnosis:
“You didn’t get to the root cause.”
Dalio ordered a third investigation.
It seems important to mention that this could have been an opportunity for Jim Comey to tell Ray Dialo to go to hell, and that he was nuts, but apparently that was to be the road less travelled. Jim Comey decided to be an Elliot Ness of smallness in pursuit of ludicrousness.
This time around, Comey applied brute force. He searched the records of Guggenheimer’s company-issued cell phone and found that she’d turned it on at home after her trial. When she protested that she needed to save personal contact information, Comey said she should have asked for permission.
He also began searching through the files on Guggenheimer’s office computer. Amid the usual mundanity, Comey came upon what he thought was quite the kompromat. Guggenheimer, a single woman, was using the computer to send messages on dating websites. Some of the messages bordered on blue—“near pornographic,” Comey told some at Bridgewater.
The good news in the take is that while the emperor is stern, he is no prudish scold like Comey.
Dalio saw it differently. “What is pornography?” he mused. People have their private business, and the messages weren’t nearly a fireable offense, he concluded.
The Vanity Fair excerpt makes clear that the Justice Department’s number two man was indefatigable and undeterred in defeat. He turned his efforts towards entrapment.
As head of security, Comey reported to Dalio’s longtime deputy Greg Jensen, who seemed eager to prove that he took the protection of Bridgewater’s secrets as seriously as Dalio. With little evidence of actual offending behavior to snuff out, they created their own. Comey helped come up with a plan to leave a binder, clearly labeled as Jensen’s, unattended in the Bridgewater offices. It worked like a charm. Comey watched as a low-ranked Bridgewater employee stumbled upon the binder and began to peruse it. Jensen and Comey put the employee on trial, found him guilty, and fired him, with Dalio’s approval.
What is most amazing about the Vanity Fair excerpt is that the parts above are the prelude to the really bad parts.
What is unbelievable is where all of it ended. Comey decided to stage another trial at the expense of the American people, targeted at the Democratic nominee — Secretary Hillary Clinton — because he could. It was an epic abuse of power that assailed the concepts of restraint, humility and good judgement. The result was Donald Trump’s narrow win and the smearing of a reputation that was unwarranted, unearned and undeserved.
The coverage of the Clinton email story in 2016 was an abomination that only exceeded in its grand finale — a spasm of nothingness at the edge of an abyss.
It is said that there is no bottom and no surprises in the Trump era. It seems true, but it’s not. These Comey revelations are beyond strange. They are shocking and ridiculous. They read like a plot from a knockoff of “Billions,” without any apparent awareness whatsoever on Comey’s part that they are a very big deal.
There are few friends Donald Trump has ever had that have been more faithful to his success and cause than Jim Comey. Comey is a man who should never have been the FBI director. He should also never serve in government again.
VIDEO COMMENTARY: How Donald Trump’s rhetoric is shockingly similar to Nazism
My thoughts on how similar Trump's latest rhetoric is to Adolf Hitler, and why that should be so frightening:
Wow! Thanks Steve, I did not know any of this; although, I agree Comey broke the DOJ’s own rules by denigrating Hillary, and announcing that while legally, she didn’t break the law, she was unethical in her actions; delivering the news within 90 days of an election.
I always thought that it was the FBI’s close relationship with Rudi in the NY field office that was the culprit; they wanted Hillary investigated as a favor to Rudi or they would revolt against headquarters created a rift within the FBI.
Now all my worst fears are confirmed. What’s worse is the fact that the media never vets these people, but always holds them in high regard.
We saw this when Rumseld and Cheney signed on to Bush’s team. The media claimed they were two moderate conservatives with decades of foreign policy and government service under their belt, and exceptional public servants.
We learned the hard way that they were actually neo-cons with an imperialist agenda. Bottom line: How’d that work out for America?
We were told the same about Barr, Kelly, Pence, etc......only to find out later, they were fanatical “yes”men and women who would continually justify the indefensible, for their anointed one.
Comey should go down in history as someone whose actions obviated DOJ and FBI policy and procedures and, in so doing, submarined Clinton's 2016 election chances. He either lacked critical thinking and decision making skills or what he did was absolutely intentional. Either way, proves he definitely never should have been the FBI Director.