Trump administration "chose to 'defame' me and FBI using lies; plain and simple."
Following James Comey’s opening statement, released on Wednesday afternoon, the former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation testified before the Senate amid allegations of Russian interference in the US election and an obstruction of justice on the part of Donald Trump, the US President.
In Comey's opening statement, he claimed that Trump told him, "I need loyalty, I expect loyalty."
Comey also detailed an incident when Trump asked the Attorney General to leave the Oval Office before asking him (Comey) to "let (Michael) Flynn go" and "lift the cloud" on the Russian investigation.
Regarding the attacks that Trump and his administration have made on the FBI, Comey stated: "The administration then chose to defame me and more importantly the FBI by saying it was in disarray... those are lies."
https://twitter.com/AP/status/872822368342867968
In an engrossing hearing, Comey stated the following:
- He understood that he could be fired at any moment. His initial concerns were raised due to "shifting explanations that confused and concerned" him.
- Trump repeatedly told him that he was doing a good job and that he hoped would stay.
- Comey was confused about why he was fired over the Russia investigation and by the explanation that Trump gave to the public.
- Comey has "no doubt" of Russian interference in the US election and no doubt that Russia hacked the servers of the Democratic Party. He also became aware of the cyber intrusion from Russia in late summer 2015.
- He also added that there was no doubt that the Russian government knew that these hacks were happening.
- President Trump did not ask him to stop these Russian investigations.
- Comey admitted that there could be something in the investigation that's criminal which doesn't have anything to do with the election.
Arguably the most startling revelation concerns the meetings that Comey had with Trump and his insistence on taking notes.
Comey frequently wrote memos while meeting with Trump because, "I knew that there might come a day when I needed a record of what happened, not just to defend myself but to defend the FBI.
"I interacted with President Obama. I spoke only twice in three years and didn’t document it... I had one one-on-one meeting with President Bush... but I didn’t feel with President Bush the need to document it in that way. I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting.”
https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/872825374119530497
Regarding the allegations that the president was obstructing justice and intruding on the Russian investigation, he had this to say: "My common sense told me that what was going on is, either he thought or someone told him, ‘you’ve already asked Comey to stay, and you didn’t get anything for it.’ And the dinner was an attempt to build loyalty... What the President whispered in my ear was 'I really look forward to working with you'... I’m sitting there thinking, three times we’ve already talked about me staying. My common sense told me, he’s looking to get something in exchange..."
Further points from his testimony include
- Trump never asked about any other investigation or asked Comey to take an action on any other investigation, aside from Michael Flynn.
- Trump was never under investigation during Comey's tenure.
- Comey stated that "I believe the Russia investigation played a role in why I was fired. I take Trump at his word that I was fired because of the Russia investigation."
The former director of the FBI also elaborated on the president’s request that he let the Flynn investigation go before discussing Trump's tweet that tapes might exist.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/863007411132649473
“I was so stunned by the conversation that I just took it in... I was playing in my mind. I saw the tweet about the tapes, Lordy I hope there are tapes. I remember saying ‘I agree he’s a good guy,’ as a way of saying ‘I’m not agreeing with what you asked me to just do.’"
https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/status/872832140106489858
Here's the live feed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enqZlgDv-tw
