The prepared testimony former FBI Director James Comey provided to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence ahead of his hearing today is an altogether remarkable document. It confirms much of the scandalous and anonymously sourced reporting that emerged from Donald Trump's abrupt dismissal of Comey, and it reveals a president who is thoroughly consumed by the scandals plaguing his still-young administration. But more importantly, it portrays a sitting president of the United States who conducts business like a sort of low-rent mafioso. [...]

What this tells us is that Trump's view of government is rooted firmly in patronage and profound contempt for the idea that the president is bound by laws. Public servants are expected to show fealty to the Constitution, and they take an oath to that effect. Serving under Trump, however, means serving Trump and doing whatever he asks out of fealty and respect. [...]

By making "loyalty" an overriding requirement for service in the executive branch, Trump is ensuring that the only people who will seek out and succeed in public service are strivers and toadies. Trump's erratic behavior and constellation of scandals have already made it damn near impossible to find competent recruits for key administration jobs that remain vacant. Trump even had difficulty finding outside counsel to represent him in the Russia investigations, as top law firms worried that he would disregard their advice and stiff them on the bill. The sort of person who would happily sign up with a turmoil-ridden executive branch that requires slavish loyalty to the president very likely doesn't have the public's interest foremost in their mind.