Taking the Catholic Pulse
Sign In
    • Deirdre Brennan
    • Charles Collins
    • Elise Ann Allen
    • Nirmala Carvalho
    • Eduardo Campos Lima
    • Christopher R. Altieri
    • Ngala Killian Chimtom
    • Stephan Uttom Rozario
    • Vatican
    • U.S.
    • UK and Ireland
    • Middle East
    • Americas
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • Europe
    • Oceania
    • Interviews
    • Videos
    • Podcast
    • Last Week in the Church
  • Support Us
  • About Us
    • Contact Details
    • Advertising
    • Email Updates

  

    

       

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Crux
© 2026 Crux Now Media, LLC
Privacy & Cookie Policy
CruxTaking the Catholic Pulse
  • About Crux
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising
  • Videos
  • Support Us
Podcast:
  • Apple Podcasts
  • Spotify
  • Podcast Index
  • Amazon Music
  • Google Podcasts
  • TuneIn

Quick Links

  • Currents News
  • Magisterium
  • Vulgate
  • VMR Communications
  • DeSales Media Group in the Diocese of Brooklyn

Comey, Trump and this ‘meddlesome priest’

By Jessica Estepa
Jun 11, 2017
|Religion News Service
Share
Comey, Trump and this ‘meddlesome priest’

Former FBI Director James Comey testifies before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on June 8, 2017. (Credit: Photo courtesy of Reuters/Jonathan Ernst.)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – James Comey likened President Trump’s suggestion to drop the Michael Flynn investigation to an English monarch’s indirect order to kill the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, asked whether Comey interpreted certain phrases  from the president of the United States, such as “I hope” or “I suggest,” as directives.
“Yes. It kind of rings in my ears as, ‘Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?’” Comey replied.

“Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest” #Comey again questioned about his interpretation of ‘hope’ as a directive. pic.twitter.com/VnrH4u9Wly

— ABC News (@abcnews) June 8, 2017

Comey was quoting a well-known saying from Henry II. Back in 1170, the king of England was years into a quarrel with Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, over the rights of the church. Henry II is often quoted as saying, “Will no one rid of me of this turbulent priest?” His men interpreted this as the king wanting Becket dead. Soon after, Becket was assassinated.
Becket was later venerated as a saint:

Thomas Becket went on to become a saint, FYI.

— Carlos Lozada (@CarlosLozadaWP) June 8, 2017

(Estepa writes for USA Today)

Share

Latest Stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related Stories

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most Popular

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Keep Crux Independent

Crux. Anytime. Anywhere.

Today's top stories delivered straight into your inbox.

Comey, Trump and this ‘meddlesome priest’ | Crux
Latest
Catholic cross like no other is a beacon of unity in Olympic host city Milan
President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Credit: Alex Brandon/AP.)

Senior U.S. Church leaders call for presidential apology in wake of racist social media post

  • Feb 10
  • Christopher R. Altieri
Leonardo da Vinci's "Last Supper" in the Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan, Italy on Feb. 9, 2021. (Credit: Antonio Calanni/AP.)

Tourists stopped from seeing The Last Supper, while Olympic VIPs including Vance visit

  • Feb 9
  • María Teresa Hernández, 
    Associated Press

No U.S. visit for Pope Leo XIV this year, Vatican says

  • Feb 8
  • Elise Ann Allen
This Oct. 26, 1966 file photo shows Bishop Fulton J. Sheen in his office at the Propagation of Faith in New York. (Credit: Eddie Adams/AP.)

Vatican again OKs Archbishop Fulton Sheen beatification after 2019 ceremony derailed at last minute

  • Feb 9
  • Nicole Winfield, 
    Associated Press
The “Cross of Athletes” is seen during a Mass at the Basilica of San Babila, known as the Church of Athletes during the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2026. The cross travels to Olympic host cities as a symbol of faith, unity, and the values of sport. (Credit: María Teresa Hernandez/AP.)

Catholic cross like no other is a beacon of unity in Olympic host city Milan

  • Feb 10
  • María Teresa Hernández, 
    Associated Press
Padre Paco arrested in Argentina on Feb. 4, 2026. (Credit: X post by lawmaker Eduardo Valdés.)

Priest arrested during pensioners protest in Argentina

  • Feb 10
  • Eduardo Campos Lima
Pope Leo XIV signs a baseball in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican before his weekly general audience June 4, 2025. (Credit: Vatican Media.)

Pope Leo uses Winter Olympics to define Church’s relationship with sport

  • Feb 10
  • Charles Collins
In the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV meets with pilgrims from the Parish of Santo Tomás de Villanueva (St. Thomas of Villanova) in Spain on Dec. 29, 2025. (Credit: Vatican Media.)

Pope Leo XIV warns Madrid’s priests that faith can be instrumentalized or relegated amid political uncertainty

  • Feb 10
  • Fionn Shiner
President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago club, Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Palm Beach, Fla. (Credit: Alex Brandon/AP.)

Senior U.S. Church leaders call for presidential apology in wake of racist social media post

  • Feb 10
  • Christopher R. Altieri

Abp Lori issues pastoral letter on renewal of U.S. political culture

  • Feb 10
  • Crux Staff
This Oct. 26, 1966 file photo shows Bishop Fulton J. Sheen in his office at the Propagation of Faith in New York. (Credit: Eddie Adams/AP.)

Vatican again OKs Archbishop Fulton Sheen beatification after 2019 ceremony derailed at last minute

  • Feb 9
  • Nicole Winfield, 
    Associated Press
New York Archbishop-designate Ronald A. Hicks, who is taking over from Cardinal Timothy Dolan, leaves after his Installation Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the Manhattan borough of New York on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Credit: Angelina Katsanis/ Pool Reuters via AP.)

New Catholic archbishop of New York wants a church that ‘shows respect for all’ and builds unity

  • Feb 7
  • Dave Collins, 
    Associated Press