Story highlights Mark Bauerlein: James Comey did not sound like a respected former director of the FBI

He came across as a meek and fearful middle manager unable to stand up to his boss, writes Bauerlein

Mark Bauerlein is a professor of English at Emory University, senior editor of the journal "First Things" and author of "The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future; Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30." The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own.

(CNN) During his testimony, James Comey didn't sound like the head of a fearsome investigative agency. He sounded like a middle manager in business who's just attended a human resources seminar on inappropriate behavior in the workplace.

Let's start from the beginning -- with the release of Comey's written statement on Wednesday. When President Donald Trump adjourned the February 14 counterterrorism meeting and asked the former FBI director to remain, even brushing Attorney General Jeff Sessions away, why didn't Comey say, "Uh, President, if this is about a pending investigation, others should be here"?

Mark Bauerlein

In the hearing, Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-California, followed up on that point, asking Comey why he didn't resist the setup, particularly after Trump brought up the Flynn case. "Maybe if I were a little stronger ...," he replied, but "I was stunned."

A few minutes later, when Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, repeated the question, Comey spoke again about how "stunned" he was, and that he lacked the "presence of mind" to respond with anything except the silent realization, "Be careful what you say." Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, too, seemed baffled by Comey's diffidence.

Another question along the same lines: At the January 27 tete-a-tete dinner, when President Trump pressed the need for loyalty on Comey, why did it produce so much discomfort? "I didn't move, speak or change my facial expression in any way during the awkward silence that followed," Comey's statement says. "We simply looked at each other in silence."

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