Disgraced FBI director James Comey makes bizarre confession
Disgraced FBI director James Comey is inserting himself back into the headlines with a disturbing confession.
In a bizarre social media video, Comey admitted to having a years-old parasocial relationship with pop star Taylor Swift, declaring himself a devoted "Swiftie."
Comey said he went to his first Swift concert 15 years ago, and that her music has been a big part of his life ever since.
"Taylor Swift and I go way back," he asserted.
Comey's bizarre confession
The 64-year-old said he derives moral inspiration from the anti-Trump pop star, who made a controversial endorsement of Kamala Harris in last year's tumultuous presidential race.
“She’s made clear that she sees Donald Trump for what he is," Comey said of Swift. "Last year, she urged Americans not to make the serious mistake of electing him. Of course, we’re now living with the consequences of that mistake."
The five-minute video showcases Comey's familiar pomposity while exposing a new layer of his odd, obsessive personality.
So much oversharing
Sharing details that nobody asked for, Comey admitted to listening to Swift while he cuts his lawn and credited the "Shake It Off" singer with showing him how to respond to "bullies."
He even shared his top two Swift songs, "All Too Well" - the 10-minue version specifically - and "Exile."
"I’m in a family’s Swiftie group chat. I know all her music and I listen to it in my headphones when I cut the grass," Comey said.
"I am not an advocate for weakness. Of course, we need to stand up to jerks and defend what matters, but I think we have to try to do that without becoming like them, which is what makes me think about Taylor Swift," he said.
Destroying credibility
Never one to hide his feelings, Comey is known for his extremely partisan, attention-seeking commentary.
The Secret Service paid him a visit earlier this year after he shared a provocative anti-Trump message that he later deleted: "Trump 86," which some saw as a call to depose or kill Trump. Comey refused to apologize and denied issuing a violent threat.
"I posted it on my Instagram account and thought nothing more of it until I heard through [my wife] that people were saying it was some sort of a call for assassination, which is crazy, but I took it down,” he said. “I regret the distraction and the controversy around it but again, it’s hard to have regret about something that even in hindsight, looks to me to be totally innocent.”
Comey is currently under investigation by the FBI as the Trump administration reviews his role in the Russiagate controversy, which saw Comey and other top intelligence officials push an investigation into Trump based on a false narrative of Russian collusion.
Comey's scandal-plagued tenure as FBI director was devastating for the agency's non-partisan image. With his bizarre Taylor Swift video, he has caused even more damage to the credibility of the intelligence community.