As White House officials mull a trade war with China and take military action amid Syria's conflicts, another battle is raging in Washington -- between the Trump administration and top law enforcement officials. And the man at its center -- former FBI Director James Comey -- is opening another front. A tell-all book on his days serving President Trump is due out next week. Excerpts are already being leaked, and Comey himself is giving interviews on the contents. As Nathan King reports -- Comey paints a portrait of a president that's far from flattering.

Labelling Donald Trump a liar and unethical, fired Former FBI Director James Comey likens the president to a mafia boss who requires loyalty above all else. Comey, in his book titled "A Higher Loyalty" calls the Trump Presidency "a forest fire" - an administration more concerned about Trump's image than whether Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. In an interview with US network ABC News, Comey recalls one key meeting.

JAMES COMEY FORMER FBI DIRECTOR "No one asked, to my recollection asked - what's coming next from the Russians - how might we stop it - what's the future look like - it was all what can we say about what they did and how it effects what they just had."

Trump is hitting back over Twitter -- in part saying: "James Comey is a proven LEAKER; LIAR untruthful slime ball who was, as time has proven, a terrible Director of the FBI. His handling of the Crooked Hillary Clinton case, and the events surrounding it, will go down as one of the worst 'botch jobs' of history. It was my great honor to fire James Comey!" Comey was fired by Trump as head of the FBI May 9th 2017 -- the reason given by the Trump administration was his mishandling of the Hillary Clinton e-mail investigation- but there were questions, too, about a whether Trump saw Comey as a loyal supporter - amid the investigation surrounding Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Comey's removal led to the appointment of a special counsel to take over the case - another former FBI head -Robert Mueller. That investigation continues. It has been widely reported that Trump has thought about firing Mueller too, and other Justice Department officials who are overseeing the case. Especially after a raid on his personal lawyer's office this week and signs of expanding investigations involving his business practices and alleged payoffs to women with sexual allegations against the president.

NATHAN KING WASHINGTON "Once again we're seeing the Trump presidency distracted from pressing world events like the decision on military action in Syria, and the trade friction with China and again answering to allegations about the President's personal conduct and whether he may have obstructed justice. And with more TV interviews scheduled for James Comey -- and his book hitting the stores on Tuesday - these allegations -true or false will not fade away anytime soon. Nathan King CGTN at the White House."