Former FBI director James Comey said he regrets cancelling a date with his wife to attend a private dinner with Donald Trump.
During his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, Comey said the US president called him to invite him to dinner at the White House on January 27.
According to Comey, it was in that meeting Trump asked if he wanted to remain as FBI director and declared: “I need loyalty. I expect loyalty.”
“He called me at my desk at lunch time and asked me was I free for dinner,” Comey told Senator Angus King. “I said, ‘sir, whatever works for you’.”
James Comey says he had to “break a date” with his wife when Pres. Trump invited him to the White House for dinner https://t.co/oWfQ0jkiXG
— CNN (@CNN) June 8, 2017
Comey added that after accepting Trump’s invitation, he called his wife Patrice Failor to cancel.“I hung up and had to call my wife and break a date with her – I was supposed to take her out to dinner that night,” he said.To which King jokingly replied: “That’s one of the all-time great excuses for breaking a date”.
Comey broke a date with his wife to eat dinner with Trump.
"I love spending time with my wife. I wish I'd been there that night." pic.twitter.com/B0OnNZ462P
— Mashable GIF (@mashablegif) June 8, 2017
Comey, too, responded in jest, saying that he regretted accepting the invitation from Trump.“In retrospect, I love spending time with my wife, I wish I had been there that night,” he said.Meanwhile, the internet had their own interpretation of that part of Comey’s testimony, with some commending his subtle shoutout to his wife while others were feeling his pain (well, sort of).
We are all Comey’s wife.
— Mikey Smith (@mikeysmith) June 8, 2017
It's strangely adorable that Comey found a way to give his wife a little shoutout during his testimony
— Alexis Benveniste (@apbenven) June 8, 2017
Some were convinced there was a moral to be found at the end of the statement.
Another true thing: Comey's wife gets lifetime use of "I told you so" #ComeyDay #Comey
— Sue O'Connell (@SueNBCBoston) June 8, 2017
Moral of the #Comey testimony: Don't cancel a date with your wife
— Jeremy Ross (@JeremyAdamRoss) June 8, 2017
And of course, there were memes.
exclusive photo of comey's wife after he cancelled on her pic.twitter.com/8mUJQ77o2b
— David Mack (@davidmackau) June 8, 2017
live look at comey's wife #ComeyStatement #FBIDirector #ComeyDay pic.twitter.com/wecjakFIMc
— Juan Rombado (@juanci_HS) June 8, 2017
Comey, regarding his having dinner with Trump, instead of keeping a date with his wife: pic.twitter.com/nm5oPuRq4o
— Thomas Tuegel (@ttuegel) June 8, 2017