During a January dinner in the White House, in which Mr. Trump apparently tried
and failed to extract a vow of loyalty from Mr. Comey, the president gave no sign of grasping the federal statute binding both men: “Public service is a public trust, requiring employees to place loyalty to the Constitution, the laws and ethical principles above private gain.” To Mr. Trump, “loyalty” meant abandoning an investigation into foreign interference in the last election.
President Trump Craves Loyalty, but Offers None -
By THE EDITORIAL BOARDMAY 12, 2017
It is often at moments of crisis that Americans get the clearest glimpses of a president’s character,
and this week they had the chance to learn a good deal about the true Donald Trump after his abrupt decision to fire James Comey, the F. B.I.
On the day before he fired Mr. Comey, according to Time magazine journalists who were in the White House with him, Mr. Trump surfed through recorded clips of Senate testimony about the Russia investigation, playing and replaying segments
that he insisted backed up his false claims of Obama administration wiretapping, as Vice President Mike Pence and several aides stood by silently.
Rather than cultivate experienced, strong-minded advisers who might challenge his views,
Mr. Trump prefers to govern by impulse and edict, demanding absurd pledges of “loyalty.”
Americans learned that Mr. Trump gave his bodyguard’s opinion on the Comey matter as much weight as any adviser’s, if not more.