New book says Trump offered FBI director job to John Kelly, but demanded his loyalty

John Kelly.
(Image credit: Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images)

In his new book, Donald Trump v. The United States, Michael Schmidt of The New York Times writes that one day after President Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey, he called then-Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and offered him the job, Axios reports.

There was a catch, however. Trump told Kelly if he accepted the position, he "needed to be loyal to him, and only him," Schmidt writes. Kelly "immediately realized the problem with Trump's request for loyalty, and he pushed back to the president's demand," Schmidt said, telling him his only loyalty would be to the "Constitution and the rule of law."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.