Comey: ‘Real leaders never ask for loyalty’

Former director of FBI speaks in Pittsburgh

Former FBI Director James Comey offered a sharp criticism of President Donald Trump’s leadership Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, asserting that leaders should uphold the truth and the rule of law.

Between light anecdotal stories about his time in the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, Mr. Comey lectured on what he says are the four qualities of an effective leader — kindness and toughness, confidence and humility — and contrasted those with the qualities of Mr. Trump, who fired him last year.

“I have never seen him make a decision when I was in government, or after, that draws upon logic, tradition, history, or faith traditions — the things that are above the line,” Mr. Comey said. “I believe his reference point is only internal: ‘What will give me what I need?’”

Billed as a “look into the Comey behind the headlines,” the former FBI director lectured to a packed house at Heinz Hall for Robert Morris University’s Pittsburgh

Speaker Series. Towering 6 foot 8 inches in a black suit, Mr. Comey said he didn’t want to talk about policy disagreements — or “things that normally lead to shouting” — but present a thoughtful analysis of what makes a good leader.

Mr. Trump fired Mr. Comey in May 2017 amid a national conversation over the investigations he led into Hillary Clinton’s emails and Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

A Republican, Mr. Comey has frequently and publicly railed against the president since his firing, and that continued Wednesday night, when he described the president as someone who always meets with people while seated behind a desk, and one who never laughs — both things he said the best leaders in the world don’t do.

“Real leaders never ask for loyalty,” Mr. Comey said, adding that the best leaders are people who “are comfortable enough in their own skin to shut up and to take joy in their people’s achievements.”

Mr. Comey talked of the shock behind his dismissal and said it was never one of his career goals to be a celebrity or unemployed.

“I’m an unemployed celebrity,” he said to a roar of laughter from the crowd.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly said he didn’t fire Mr. Comey because of the Russia investigation, but he also said — in a TV interview last year with NBC’s Lester Holt — that “this Russia thing” was a consideration.

In a 30-minute questionand-answer session after his nearly hour-long speech, Mr. Comey addressed the FBI’s investigation of sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

“I’ve seen concerns about the scope, but I can’t tell from the outside whether the bureau is being given the rein that it needs — the free rein,” he said.

Mr. Comey also faced questions about his role in the 2016 presidential election. Ms. Clinton and her supporters have said they believe Mr. Comey’s announcements about her email practices in the weeks leading up to the election led in part to her defeat.

“I really secretly hope that some political scientist will prove that I was irrelevant, and that I had no impact on the election,” Mr. Comey said.

The lecture was lighthearted at times. Mr. Comey shared stories about his height, labeling himself a “nuanced ducker.”

But mostly he lamented the breakdown of truth and values in the American political discourse and the erosion of central norms.

“I wake up some mornings to the president of the United States tweeting that I should be in jail,” Mr. Comey said to laughter, “and I laugh. Because it’s stupid. It’s silly.”