Maybe you can’t blame Comey: His unceremonial dismissal made it a bit more difficult for him to follow the circumspect precedent of other former FBI directors who cashed in and took the elder statesman route. Certainly he deserved the opportunity to defend his honor and professionalism after Trump dumped him.

But Comey didn’t stop there. He’s become an all-purpose commentator, going on a highly publicized book tour and criticizing Republicans when they speak badly of the FBI, roll over for Trump, or even release a memo.

Aside from not being very helpful, the other problem with all this is that Comey remains a potential witness in a criminal investigation involving the president. Did Trump fire him in order to short-circuit the Russia investigation? That’s one item Mueller is investigating. We don’t yet have the results of that investigation, though hopefully that day is drawing near. The more Comey opens his mouth with criticisms of Republicans, though, the easier it becomes for Trump and his allies to paint Comey as a biased partisan, somebody with too much of a chip on his shoulder to treat the president fairly. Rudy Giuliani must giggle with glee every time Comey pops up again in the headlines.