Following a string of bombshell reports surrounding the Russia investigation shadowing the White House, NBC News is reporting that ousted FBI Director James Comey is now slated to testify in an open session before Senate Intelligence Committee.
Although a date for the hearing hasn’t been announced yet, the Committee said in a statement that the hearing is set to take place after Memorial Day.
From NBC News:
Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of the committee, said he hopes that Comey’s testimony “will clarify for the American people recent events that have been broadly reported in the media.”
Sen. Mark Warner, vice chairman of the committee, said he expects the former FBI director to “shed light on issues critical” to the committee’s investigation. The Virginia Democrat also said he hopes that Comey will answer some of the questions following his sudden dismissal.
Further deepening the crisis within the White House, the New York Times reported early Friday that during a meeting with Russian officials in the Oval Office, Trump called Comey a “nut job” and added that firing him from his post as FBI Director relieved the “great pressure” bearing down from the Russia inquiry.
Trump denied the report during a Thursday press conference.
While giving testimony on May 3, Comey said that it would be a “very big deal” if a White House official tried to impede an investigation.
Comey declined an initial invitation to testify in a closed door session and said he wants his testimony to be public. The offer came in the wake of a series of early-morning tweets from President Trump, who was clearly agitated over chatter that claimed he fired Comey in response to the FBI’s investigation into the White House’s alleged ties to Russia.
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