President Trump took to Twitter on Friday to complain that the life of his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has been “totally destroyed,” and bemoan that fired FBI director James B. Comey was making money off what Trump termed a “third rate book.”
“So General Michael Flynn’s life can be totally destroyed while Shadey James Comey can Leak and Lie and make lots of money from a third rate book (that should never have been written),” the president tweeted. “Is that really the way life in America is supposed to work? I don’t think so!”
So General Michael Flynn’s life can be totally destroyed while Shadey James Comey can Leak and Lie and make lots of money from a third rate book (that should never have been written). Is that really the way life in America is supposed to work? I don’t think so!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 20, 2018
Trump has repeatedly taken aim at Comey — at one point calling him an “untruthful slimeball” — as the former FBI chief conducts a publicity tour to promote his new book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership,” a 304-page tell-all that portrays the president as an ego-driven congenital liar.
Trump, meanwhile, remains a defender of Flynn, who pleaded guilty in December to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Flynn, who was forced to resign less than a month into Trump’s presidency, is also cooperating in the ongoing probe of possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election.
In a Jan. 28, 2017, memo made public on Thursday, Comey said Trump castigated Flynn for not promptly scheduling a return phone call of congratulations from a foreign head of state, whose name was redacted in the memo. The Washington Post reported Friday that the head of state was Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“In telling the story, the President pointed his fingers at his head and said, ‘the guy has serious judgment issues,’ ” Comey wrote. Comey said he did not comment at the time.
Trump has disputed Comey’s accounts of their conversations.
In a burst of other tweets early Friday morning, Trump also said he was looking forward to serving as the commencement speaker at the U.S. Naval Academy next month and accused House Minority Leader Nancy Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) of “going absolutely crazy” over Republican tax cuts.
Actually, Nancy's been traveling across the country educating Americans about the disastrous impact this monstrosity of a treacherous scam will have – which gives corporations 83% of the benefits while obliterating Medicare, Medicaid & Social Security. https://t.co/pZ3fDlAqAs pic.twitter.com/VkNSaM15Tg
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) April 20, 2018
Pelosi responded in kind, writing on Twitter: “Actually, Nancy’s been traveling across the country educating Americans about the disastrous impact this monstrosity of a treacherous scam will have.”
Trump later criticized OPEC for what he characterized as artificially inflating oil prices.