Commentary
One evening in May 2017, Charles “Charlie” McGonigal was about to take the stage to give a talk to the Foreign Policy Association when he learned that less than four months into his presidency, Donald Trump had fired FBI Director James Comey.
At the time, McGonigal was one of the most senior officials in the FBI—special agent in charge [SAC] of the bureau’s prestigious counterintelligence division in New York City. He let the audience know how much he would miss his boss: “Director Comey was probably one of the most loved leaders that we’ve had in a number of years commanding a leadership role in the FBI,” McGonigal told the crowd. “I think many of us who were nominated for leadership positions by him will forever hold him in esteem as we progress through our FBI careers.”…