Former FBI Director James Comey asserted Thursday that President Donald Trump fired him to interfere with his investigation of Russia91裸聊视频檚 role in the 2016 election and its ties to the Trump campaign.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 my judgment that I was fired because of the Russia investigation,91裸聊视频� Comey told the Senate intelligence committee in explosive testimony that threatened to undermine Trump91裸聊视频檚 presidency.
91裸聊视频淚 was fired in some way to change, or the endeavour was to change, the way the Russia investigation was being conducted,91裸聊视频� Comey testified under oath.
91裸聊视频淭hat is a very big deal, and not just because it involves me.91裸聊视频�
Comey also accused the Trump administration of spreading 91裸聊视频渓ies, plain and simple91裸聊视频� about him and the FBI in the aftermath of his abrupt firing last month, declaring that the administration then 91裸聊视频渃hose to defame me and, more importantly, the FBI91裸聊视频� by claiming the bureau was in disorder under his leadership.
BREAKING: Trump lawyer accuses Comey of `unauthorized disclosures' of `privileged communications' he had with the president.
91裸聊视频� The Associated Press (@AP)
And in testimony that exposed deep distrust between the president and the veteran lawman, Comey described intense discomfort about their one-on-one conversations, saying he decided he immediately needed to document the discussions in memos.
91裸聊视频淚 was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting, so I thought it really important to document,91裸聊视频� Comey said. 91裸聊视频淚 knew there might come a day when I might need a record of what happened not only to defend myself but to protect the FBI.91裸聊视频�
The revelations came as Comey delivered his much anticipated first public telling of his relationship with Trump, speaking at a packed Senate intelligence committee hearing that brought Washington and parts of the country to a standstill as all eyes were glued to screens showing the testimony.
The former director immediately dove into the heart of the fraught political controversy around his firing and whether Trump interfered in the bureau91裸聊视频檚 Russia investigation, as he elaborated on written testimony delivered Wednesday.
In that testimony he had already disclosed that Trump demanded his 91裸聊视频渓oyalty91裸聊视频� and directly pushed him to 91裸聊视频渓ift the cloud91裸聊视频� of investigation by declaring publicly the president was not the target of the FBI probe into his campaign91裸聊视频檚 Russia ties.
Comey said that he declined to do so in large part because of the 91裸聊视频渄uty to correct91裸聊视频� that would be created if that situation changed.
Comey also said in his written testimony that Trump, in a strange private encounter near the grandfather clock in the Oval Office, pushed him to end his investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia asked Comey the key question: 91裸聊视频淒o you believe this rises to obstruction of justice?91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 know. That91裸聊视频檚 Bob Mueller91裸聊视频檚 job to sort that out,91裸聊视频� Comey responded, referring to the newly appointed special counsel who has taken over the Justice Department91裸聊视频檚 Russia investigation.
In a startling disclosure, Comey revealed that after his firing he actually tried to spur the special counsel91裸聊视频檚 appointment by giving one of his memos about Trump to a friend of his to release to the press.
91裸聊视频淢y judgment was I need to get that out into the public square,91裸聊视频� Comey said.
Trump91裸聊视频檚 private attorney, Marc Kasowitz, seized on Comey91裸聊视频檚 affirmation that he told Trump he was not personally under investigation.
Though Comey said he interpreted Trump91裸聊视频檚 comments as a directive to shut down the Flynn investigation, Kasowitz also maintained in his written statement that Comey91裸聊视频檚 testimony showed that the president 91裸聊视频渘ever, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone, including suggesting that that Mr. Comey 91裸聊视频榣et Flynn go.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�
The Republican National Committee and other White House allies worked feverishly to lessen any damage from the hearing, trying to undermine Comey91裸聊视频檚 credibility by issuing press releases and even ads pointing to a past instance where the FBI had had to clean up the director91裸聊视频檚 testimony to Congress.
Republicans and Trump91裸聊视频檚 own lawyer seized on Comey91裸聊视频檚 confirmation, in his written testimony, of Trump91裸聊视频檚 claim that Comey had told him three times the president was not directly under investigation.
Trump himself was expected to dispute Comey91裸聊视频檚 claims that the president demanded loyalty and asked the FBI director to drop the investigation into Flynn, according to a person close to the president91裸聊视频檚 legal team who demanded anonymity because of not being authorized to discuss legal strategy.
The president has not yet publicly denied the specifics of Comey91裸聊视频檚 accounts but has broadly challenged his credibility, tweeting last month Comey 91裸聊视频渂etter hope there are no 91裸聊视频榯apes91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� of the conversations.
91裸聊视频淟ordy, I hope there are tapes,91裸聊视频� Comey remarked at one point Thursday, suggesting such evidence would back up his account over any claims from the president.
Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California asked the question that many Republicans have raised in the weeks since Comey91裸聊视频檚 firing as one media leak followed another revealing Comey91裸聊视频檚 claims about Trump91裸聊视频檚 inappropriate interactions with him.
Discussing the Oval Office meeting where Comey says Trump asked him to back off Flynn, Feinstein asked: 91裸聊视频淲hy didn91裸聊视频檛 you stop and say, 91裸聊视频楳r. President, this is wrong,91裸聊视频�?91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭hat91裸聊视频檚 a great question,91裸聊视频� Comey said. 91裸聊视频淢aybe if I were stronger I would have. I was so stunned by the conversation I just took it in.91裸聊视频�
The hearing unfolded amid intense political interest, and within a remarkable political context as Comey delivered detrimental testimony about the president who fired him, a president who won election only after Comey damaged his opponent, Hillary Clinton, in the final days of the campaign.
Clinton has blamed her defeat on Comey91裸聊视频檚 Oct. 28 announcement that he was re-opening the investigation of her email practices. 91裸聊视频淚f the election were on Oct. 27, I would be your president,91裸聊视频� Clinton said last month.
Thursday91裸聊视频檚 hearing included discussion of that email investigation, as Comey disclosed that then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch instructed him to refer to the issue as a 91裸聊视频渕atter,91裸聊视频� not an 91裸聊视频渋nvestigation.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淭hat concerned me because that language tracked how the campaign was talking about the FBI91裸聊视频檚 work and that91裸聊视频檚 concerning,91裸聊视频� Comey said. 91裸聊视频淲e had an investigation open at the time so that gave me a queasy feeling.91裸聊视频�
Many Democrats still blame Comey for Clinton91裸聊视频檚 loss, leading Trump to apparently believe they would applaud him for firing Comey last month.
The opposite was the case as the firing created an enormous political firestorm that has stalled Trump91裸聊视频檚 legislative agenda on Capitol Hill and taken over Washington.
Under questioning Thursday, Comey strongly asserted the intelligence community91裸聊视频檚 conclusion that Russia did indeed meddle in the 2016 election.
91裸聊视频淭here should be no fuzz on this. The Russians interfered,91裸聊视频� Comey stated firmly. 91裸聊视频淭hat happened. It91裸聊视频檚 about as unfake as you can possibly get.91裸聊视频�
Trump has begrudgingly accepted the U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia interfered with the election. But he has also suggested he doesn91裸聊视频檛 believe it, saying Russia is a 91裸聊视频渞use91裸聊视频� and calling the investigation into the matter a 91裸聊视频渨itch hunt.91裸聊视频�
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Associated Press writers Julie Bykowicz and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
Eric Tucker And Erica Werner, The Associated Press
