In an interview with CNN’s Ana Cabrera on Monday, James Comey’s own friend, former federal prosecutor Walter Mack, bashed ‘A Higher Loyalty,’ over its salacious details.
MACK: “I would say the first thought when I watched that last night was ‘where was his staff?’ ‘where were those around him with comparable experience to overcome whatever beaten down views he had?’ Because at least my experiences that when you feel beaten down, your decision-making is impacted and that’s when you need people around you to get you to think a little bit about where your situation and what you’re supposed to do about it.”
CABRERA: “As we understand, this was a five-hour interview that ABC condensed to one-hour and there was so much in it. They did release the full transcript. Did you hear anything or learn anything that surprised you?”
MACK: “Most people, such as Jim and me and others with that experience are very reluctant to be in produced pieces and interviews. When I saw how edited the interview was, and in many ways I was wondering whether he was making the right decision to be interviewed outside of the legal process which he is part of right now..”
CABRERA: “He put himself out clearly, but then he, in his book and some of his comments that he’s made on air, commenting on orange skins and small hands, if he wanted the focus to be on what he sees as a serious threat to the office of the presidency, why go there? Why talk about the president’s appearance?”
MACK: “I’m not going to justify that, myself. The only time I talk to the press is in the courtroom and that is when I’m explaining myself either to a professional and I think you run the risk lowering your platform by interacting and going at all personal. He may regret it. I hope his advisors — I’m not one of them — have considered that in terms of how he conducts himself last night and in the ensuing times. Whether going on book tours and interacting and perhaps lowering his own credibility in order to deal with what’s coming his way, I’m not sure it enhances his reputation.”
