Who is James Comey and how accurate is The Comey Rule?
JAMES Comey is the FBI boss controversially fired by Trump after probing whether members of his campaign team colluded with Russia, and who is now at the centre of a new political drama mini-series.
James Comey released his memoir 'A Higher Loyalty' shortly after he was dismissed by Trump in 2017. The book forms the basis of a two-part Showtime mini series, which continues on Sky Atlantic TONIGHT (October 7).
Who is James Comey?
James Comey was controversially fired from his position as director of the FBI after his work probing whether members of Donald Trump's campaign team colluded with Russia.
The 59-year-old former lawyer replaced Robert Mueller after being nominated by then President Barack Obama but was dismissed in May 2017 by Donald Trump on May 9, 2017, less than four years into his 10-year term.
Initially the reason given by the White House for Comey being fired was due to a recommendation by the US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy Rod Rosenstein.
Rosenstein had sent a memo to Sessions, forwarded to Trump, which listed objections to Comey's actions during the investigation into Senator Hillary Clinton's emails.
However, it later emerged that Trump had requested, on May 8, Sessions and Rosenstein detail in writing a case against Comey.
Trump told reports on May 10 he had fired Comey because he "wasn't doing a good job".
At the time, Comey was investigating alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia.
However, the administration said Comey was sacked over his handling of the inquiry into Hillary Clinton's emails.
In a letter to Mr Comey, Mr Trump said the firing was necessary to restore "public trust and confidence" in the FBI.
But the sudden sacking of the nation's most senior law enforcement official outraged Democrats who said the White House was interfering in the inquiry into links with Russia.
Under Comey's leadership, the FBI concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin had approved a multi-faceted campaign to tilt the vote in Trump's favour, according to reports.
Trump's decision to fire the FBI director was virtually unprecedented, only one director has previously been fired in the bureau's century-long history.
How accurate is The Comey Rule?
The Comey Rule is a written by the former FBI director shortly after he was fired.
The book was published in April 2018 - 11 months after he was fired by Trump.
It gave a scathing account of the president.
In it, he writes: "This President is unethical, and untethered to truth and institutional values.
"His leadership is transactional, ego driven and about personal loyalty."
The TV series is narrated by U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to an aide.
Based on Comey's account of events, it is impossible to tell exactly how much of the series is fact or fiction.
Many of the incidents depicted in The Comey Rule are highly disputed by Trump.
The first episode documents Comey’s rise at the FBI before Trump's presidency, and runs all the way up to the election night in 2016.
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The next instalment depicts Trump's attempt to win Comey over, before ultimately dismissing him.
describes the series as "an exposition-packed retelling of extremely recent history in the style of Jay Roach and Danny Strong’s HBO movies Recount and Game Change".
Jeff Daniels plays James Comey in the two-part mini series set to air on Showtime at 9pm ET/PT, September 27, 2020. Brendan Brendon Gleeson will take on the role of the president.
The Comey Rule started on Showtime in the US on 27 September and in the UK on Sky Atlantic on 30 September and continues tonight, October 7.
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