'The Comey Rule': From Sally Yates to Rod Rosenstein, the powerbrokers portrayed and actors who play them
Showtime’s two-part limited series, ‘The Comey Rule’, is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated political dramas of 2020. The biographical series, based on the book ‘A Higher Loyalty’ by former FBI director James Comey, focuses on the bureau’s chief, the latter half of his career, Hillary Clinton’s emails, and Donald Trump’s rise to power.
Part one follows the investigation into Clinton’s emails and their impact on the election. Part two is an account of the first months of the Trump presidency, where, as per Showtime, “Allies became enemies, enemies became friends and truth depended on what side you were on.”
The show, of course, is richly-casted. After all, each of these actors plays the roles of real-life powerbrokers, politicians, bureaucrats, and essentially, the who’s who of Washington DC. While everyone knows that the two main characters -- Comey and Trump -- are portrayed by Jeff Daniels and Brendan Gleeson respectively, the rest of the cast and the characters they play are no less important. Let’s take a look at who is who.
Michael Kelly as Andrew McCabe
Kelly has perhaps immortalized himself with his role as Doug Stamper in another political drama series, ‘House of Cards’. The 51-year-old American actor, famous for his roles in films such as ‘Changeling’, ‘Dawn of the Dead’, ‘The Adjustment Bureau’, ‘Chronicle’, and ‘Now You See Me’, will portray Andrew McCabe in ‘The Comey Rule’.
McCabe served as the Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from February 2016 to January 2018. He joined the FBI as a special agent in 1996 and served with the bureau's SWAT team. In 2003, he became a supervisory special agent and slowly rose through the ranks. In fact, for a brief period spanning May 9, 2017, to August 2, 2017, McCabe served as the Acting Director of the FBI following Comey's dismissal by Trump.
On March 16, 2018, 26 hours before McCabe’s scheduled retirement, Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired him, basing his decision on reports that McCabe had improperly authorized releases of information to The Wall Street Journal about an investigation into the Clinton Foundation and had misled agents who questioned him about it, even under oath. McCabe disputed these charges and alleged that his firing was politically motivated.
It’ll be interesting to see how Kelly takes on this role, one that seems more than vital in the limited series.
Holly Hunter as Sally Yates
Hunter hardly needs an introduction. The 62-year-old American actor has won the Academy Award, the BAFTA Award, the Golden Globe Award, and even the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Known for her roles in films like ‘The Piano’, ‘Broadcast News’, ‘The Firm’, and many more, Hunter is all set to portray Sally Yates in the Showtime drama.
Yates served as the United States Deputy Attorney General, a position she was appointed to by President Barack Obama. Later, for a short period, she was also the Acting United States Attorney General. Following the inauguration of President Trump, and the departure of Attorney General Loretta Lynch on January 20, 2017, Yates served as Acting Attorney General for 10 days.
Trump dismissed her for insubordination on January 30, after she instructed the Justice Department not to make legal arguments defending Trump’s “Muslim Ban”, the temporary ban on the admission of refugees, and barred travel from certain Muslim-majority countries.
Scoot McNairy as Rod Rosenstein
The 42-year-old American actor and producer is best known for his role as that of the narrator (and later an active cast member) in ‘Narcos: Mexico’. His other famous roles include ‘Monsters’, ‘Argo’, ‘Killing Them Softly’, ‘12 Years a Slave’, ‘Frank’, ‘Gone Girl’, ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’, and ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’. In ‘The Comey Rule’, McNairy is all set to play Rod Rosenstein.
Rosenstein served as the 37th United States Deputy Attorney General from April 2017 until May 2019. Prior to that, he served as a United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. Trump nominated Rosenstein to serve as Deputy Attorney General for the United States Department of Justice on February 1, 2017. In May 2017, he authored a memo that Trump cited as the basis for his decision to dismiss FBI Director James Comey.
Naturally, McNairy’s role in this story is bound to be explosive.
Michael Hyatt as Loretta Lynch
The British-born American actress is best known for her roles as Brianna Barksdale on ‘The Wire’, Dr. Noelle Akopian on ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’, and Detective Sheila Muncie on ‘Ray Donovan’. In the Showtime political drama, she is all set to play Loretta Lynch.
Lynch, appointed by President Barack Obama, served as the 83rd attorney general of the United States from 2015 to 2017. She was the second African American, the second woman, and the first African-American woman to be confirmed for the position. The investigation into Clinton’s email happened under Lynch’s tenure.
On June 8, 2017, Comey testified under oath that Lynch had instructed him to not refer to the Clinton email scandal as an "investigation". He was instead to call it a "matter". He said that this directive, along with Lynch's Phoenix ramp meeting with former President Bill Clinton, led him to make his independent announcement regarding the Clinton email probe in 2016. These two things will no doubt crop up in ‘The Comey Rule’.
‘The Comey Rule’ will air on Sunday, September 27, and Monday, September 28, at 9 PM ET/PT only on Showtime.