The Atlantic

Trump's Rush to Confirm Comey's Accusations

The White House teased an elaborate plan to push back on the former FBI director’s book. Instead, the president took to Twitter to validate its central characterizations.
Source: Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

As the release of James Comey’s book neared, Republican operatives in Washington began spreading the word: They had a plan to counter the former FBI director’s much-anticipated tome. Thursday, the Republican National Committee unveiled the secret weapon, which turned out to be a slick though shallow website called (wait for it) “Lyin’ Comey.” Then came the morning of Friday the 13th, and with it the revelation of what the real strategy was: Tweets from the president.

If Donald Trump’s Friday-morning fusillade was intended to defuse the book,

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