A multi-million dollar budget adaptation of James Comey’s book, “A Higher Loyalty”, for Showtime has been scheduled for a late November premiere. Speculation has begun over whether or not the Trump administration played a hand in the post-election release date.

To say the timing of the release of the two-part miniseries is odd would be an understatement. This type of miniseries is typically meant to be a fly in the ointment for a political campaign, especially, in this case, the re-election campaign of President Trump. Traditional thought would dictate that this type of cable television programming would be used at the end of the campaign season, just before election day, to ding Trump. It is especially odd, given the fact that actor Jeff Daniels made special scheduling accommodations after he left his run on Broadway in To Kill a Mockingbird in order to be ready for a pre-election release. His intention is to be a part of the “national conversation” ahead of the election. As you may know, Daniels is publicly on record as anti-Trump. For example, during an interview with Stephen Colbert last July, Daniels said “America needs to do better” than Trump’s enforcement of immigration laws at the southern border and “we (Democrats) need somebody that can take this guy on, that can punch him in the face.” Usually, Daniels’ irrational rants against Trump and Trump supporters revolve around charges of racism. Apparently memorizing lines from To Kill a Mockingbird makes an actor an expert on race relations in America, or something.

Jeff Daniels plays the role of Comey in the miniseries. The scheduling of the miniseries must be a huge disappointment for both Daniels and Comey. Think of all the joint appearances they could make in interviews to publicize the miniseries and rant against Trump to late-night show hosts and other liberal-friendly outlets like The View. I bet Chris Wallace or Dana Perino would be happy for the two to be booked on their shows if the pair expanded their horizons enough to appear on Fox News Channel. Speculation is that President Trump used his “long mutual admiration” with CBS Viacom chief Shari Redstone. (CBS Studios made the series, adapted for the screen.) This speculation is especially timely, given Trump’s habit of throwing up blockades against authors he thinks are unfairly portraying him – case in point this week is the lawsuit against John Bolton revolving around the release of his new memoir. He’s a fighter.

Brendan Gleeson plays President Trump. He is an award-winning Irish actor and film director. I admit I had to look him up because the name wasn’t registering with me. He played Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films, and he had supporting roles in Braveheart, Michael Collins, Gangs of New York, and Cold Mountain, among others. According to Showtime, the miniseries isn’t a biopic. Instead, it focuses on the story of the relationship between Trump and Comey.

According to Showtime, the series is an immersive, behind-the-headlines account of the historically turbulent events surrounding the 2016 presidential election and its aftermath, which divided a nation. It’s not a biopic, but is instead the story of two powerful figures, Comey and Trump, whose strikingly different personalities, ethics and loyalties put them on a collision course. It’s described as an insider’s journey down the corridors of power, where decision-makers struggle to apply old norms to a dramatic new paradigm in the face of Russia’s deep and unprecedented penetration into American politics, with our nation’s rule of law hanging in the balance. Each character’s actions in these historic months made the careers of some, destroyed the careers of others and helped shape the incendiary political landscape we live in today. Part one of the series examines the earliest days of the Russia investigation, the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails and their impact on Election Night 2016, when Donald Trump stunned the world and was elected president. Part two is a virtual day-by-day account of the tempestuous relationship between Comey and Trump and the intense and chaotic first months of the Trump presidency – where allies became enemies, enemies became friends and truth depended on what side you were on.

James Comey continues to cash in on his taxpayer-supported career in government service. His vendetta against Trump will likely continue if Trump wins re-election. I can just see the soulful tweets from Comey’s Twitter account now, filled with fuzzy deep thoughts. Trump’s re-election will be worth it, besides the fact that voters must spar us from four years of Joe Biden, to see more epic meltdowns on Election Night 2020 from our intellectual betters in the entertainment industry.