The release timing of Secret Service uniformed officer Gary Byrne’s Crisis of Character is curious. Anyone with a single political bone in her body would jump to the conclusion that the sole intention of the book is to damage Hillary Clinton’s reputation before the country goes to vote, or ride the wave of popularity and cash-in.
But then you don’t have to guess about the author’s intention. He makes it quite clear when he says in one of his interviews that the former first lady is divisive, abusive and paranoid and his intention is to save the world from another Clinton in the White House.
Another thing peculiar about Crisis of Character and its release is that its marketing plan kept out mainstream media out and mostly focused on conservative mouthpiece and pure word-of-mouth. But it seems to have worked as the book has raced to the Bestseller list within just two weeks.
Crisis of Character: A White House Secret Service Officer Discloses His Firsthand Experience with Hillary, Bill, and How They Operate
Author: Gary Byrne
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Center Street (June 28, 2016)
ISBN: 1455568872, 978-1455568871
Gary Byrne was posted as a Secret Service uniformed guard outside the Clinton Oval Office. He witnessed every day operations, political happenings and personal dynamics between Clintons up-close. In this book he gives a first-hand account of all that happened in the Clinton White House from minor, personal skirmishes to national and international policy decisions.
But the book is not all about the Clinton White House. For the most part it is a memoir that chronicles the lives of people who worked close to Clintons. It gives readers the glimpse of what it means to work with the leader and the pressures that they must endure each day. It doesn’t help, of course, if the people you are protecting are abusive and moody. Fred J. Eckert at Washington Times thinks it is really not the expose that you want it to be, or a book that it is marketed to be.
The author was instrumental in exposing the Monica Lewinsky Scandal of the 90s. He complained about her behavior to authorities that prompted Lewinsky’s transfer to Pentagon. He also reported that Lewinsky often had access to the West Wing where most of the sensitive work happens. But for all his claims, several Secret Service veterans claim that Byrne was in a too low-ranking position to witness the events he reports in the book. These loyal and hard-working agents have also accused the author of inflating truth for political and financial gains and undermining the trust that agents and their protectees share.
So as far as believing the author goes if he is lying about even one thing, who know what else he is lying about? The consensus seems to be that Crisis of Character is an exciting read and more of a memoir than and expose of Clintons’ years in the White House. No pre-launch buzz however, seems to have generated the most interest in tantalizing excerpts given out to the media.