On January 6, 2017, the directors of the nation's most powerful intelligence agencies (the CIA, NSA, FBI, and ODNI) descended upon Trump Tower in Manhattan. Their mission was to brief President-elect Donald Trump on a high-confidence assessment: Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered an extensive campaign to influence the 2016 U.S. election. This video features a reading of Chapter 12: "Trump Tower" from James Comey’s memoir, A Higher Loyalty. It provides a detailed, first-person account of the meeting that fundamentally altered the relationship between the FBI and the incoming administration. Key Highlights: The Classified Assessment: Details on how the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) concluded that Russia sought to denigrate Hillary Clinton and assist Donald Trump's candidacy. The "Lump in the Stomach": Comey recounts the internal deliberations with President Obama and Vice President Biden regarding how to handle the "Steele Dossier". The Meeting Atmosphere: A look at the "mob-like" strategy session where the Trump team immediately shifted from intelligence facts to political spin and PR messaging. The Private Briefing: The uncomfortable moment Comey met privately with Trump to discuss salacious allegations involving prostitutes in Moscow, and the "germophobe" defense that followed. The Assurance: The moment Comey decided to tell Trump, "We are not investigating you," a tactical move intended to lower the temperature that would later haunt the Director. Source Credit: This is a "Trump Tower" (Chapter 12) from A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey. Timeline: 0:00 - Arrival at Trump Tower: The "Two-Elevator Crowd" 1:40 - The Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russia 3:27 - Pre-briefing Obama and Biden in the Oval Office 5:02 - The Plan to Brief Trump on the Steele Dossier 6:55 - The "Presidential Apple" and the "Lump in the Stomach" 8:04 - Advice from Jeh Johnson: "Jim, please be careful" 10:41 - The Tool in the Bag: "We are not investigating you" 12:15 - First Impressions: Entering the Trump Organization Conference Room 15:55 - Intelligence vs. Judgment: Observing the President-elect 18:13 - The Briefing Begins: Trump's Reaction to the Russia Findings 19:10 - The Shift to Political Spin: "A Thing of Ours" 20:45 - The Mafia Comparison: The Ravenite and Social Clubs 23:25 - The Private Meeting: Just Comey and Trump 25:40 - Summarizing the Salacious Allegations 27:10 - Trump’s Denial and the Sexual Assault Defense 28:20 - BuzzFeed Publishes the Dossier 30:58 - The Follow-up Call and the "Germophobe" Defense
source