'Lordy!': James Comey throws subtle shade at Trump in New Year message and Twitter is going nuts

Former FBI Director James Comey has once again taken a subtle dig at US President Donald Trump is his New Year message and Twitter is going bonkers. In a tweet on Sunday (31 December), Comey said he hoped 2018 would bring "more ethical leadership".

"Here's hoping 2018 brings more ethical leadership, focused on truth and lasting values," Comey wrote. "Happy New Year, everybody."

Many took the message to be yet another jab at President Trump who fired Comey in May last year.

Shortly after, he testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee saying Trump asked for his loyalty during a dinner at the White House in January. He also said Trump pressured him to end the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn during an Oval Office meeting in February.

Trump has fiercely denied both the claims.

"I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn," the president tweeted in December. "Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!"

Flynn has since pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about contacts with Russian officials. Special counsel Robert Mueller and multiple Congressional committees are currently investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible ties between Trump's campaign team and the Kremlin. Four people have been charged as part of Mueller's investigation so far.

Since Comey ditched his not-so-secret pseudonym Reinhold Niebuhr on Twitter and changed his handle to @Comey, he has continued to post quotes about truth, lies, leadership and justice on Twitter and Instagram over the past few months which many have taken to be subtweets to the president and the ongoing investigations.

Twitter, on the other hand, commended Comey for his latest subtweet with one person saying: "Keep fighting the good fight for truth, fairness, and justice."

However, many Trump supporters and other critics hit back at Comey by calling his tweet "ironic" and saying he deserved to be ousted from the FBI.

As the ongoing investigations continue to gain momentum, many echoed Comey's hopeful sentiments for justice in the new year.

"Justice will win in 2018... I hope," one person wrote.