White House not planning countermessage for Comey book: report

The White House is not planning a countermessage to former FBI Director James Comey’s book due out next week, according to Politico.

Two officials told the outlet that White House senior aides are hoping President Trump’s upcoming trip to South America and meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will distract him from the potential media frenzy surrounding the book’s release.

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Aides reportedly think laying out a media strategy ahead of the book could be useless if the president decides to respond on Twitter. 

The book is set to be released on April 17.

Comey, who was abruptly fired by Trump last year, has faced scrutiny from the White House and some GOP lawmakers for his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton‘s use of a private email server during her tenure as secretary of State and for the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Speculation surrounding Comey’s memoir, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership,” has reached fever pitch, with it landing the top spot on the Amazon best-sellers list.

Comey is expected to use the memoir to challenge attacks on him and the FBI by Trump and some Republicans. 

Mr. President, the American people will hear my story very soon. And they can judge for themselves who is honorable and who is not.

— James Comey (@Comey) March 17, 2018

Comey is set to make a two-week-long media tour with the release, beginning with an interview on ABC on April 15. He is expected to use the tour to push back on what he sees as lies and misrepresentations of the bureau he once led.