Former FBI Director James Comey will be testifying publicly in Congress in what has become a highly anticipated appearance that could answer lots of questions about how much President Trump tried to interfere in the investigation into his campaign’s connections to Russia. Comey will be testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee after Memorial Day but a date has yet to be set. For now, it looks like Comey could severely incriminate Trump because he has come to believe that the commander in chief was trying to influence his judgment on the Russia investigation, “a person familiar with his thinking” told CNN.
It seems Comey was uncomfortable with how Trump treated him from the start but was apparently optimistic this was due to inexperience. Comey was reportedly hopeful things could get better once he clearly pointed out what the appropriate procedures for the White House and the FBI to communicate. But that never happened. Whether or not Trump was trying to influence Comey and the FBI’s investigation into the campaign’s connections to Russia will be at the center of the hearing to try to figure out whether the president obstructed justice.
Comey agreed to the public hearing at the tail end of a week that was filled with blockbuster revelations about the former FBI chief’s relationship with the president. First came reports that Trump asked Comey to stop investigating his former national security adviser Michael Flynn, which was followed by news that the president asked the then-FBI chief when federal authorities would announce he wasn’t under investigation. Later came word that Trump called the former FBI chief a “nut job” during meetings with Russian officials.
“I am hopeful that he will clarify for the American people recent events that have been broadly reported in the media,” committee Chairman Sen. Richard Burr said in a statement. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat in the committee, added that he expects Comey “will be able to shed light on issues critical to this Committee’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.”
