James Comey in Senate: Russia undoubtedly interfered in US election; White House responds

Former FBI Director James Comey began his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday morning. He told senators he had no doubt about Russian interference in the 2016 election. However, he said Mr. Trump had not obstructed the FBI's investigation into alleged Russian involvement.

James Comey, while testifying under oath before the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that he did not know whether President Trump had obstructed justice in his request to stop the investigation into General Flynn, while pointing out that the Trump administration had questioned his credibility and that of the FBI.

According to Mr. Comey, President Trump's statements about him and the FBI were false. After firing Comey, Trump accused him of incompetence in the FBI investigation, which Mr. Comey denied.

Mr. Comey also told the Senate Intelligence Committee that President Trump had never asked him to stop the investigation into Russian interference in the US election. But Mr. Trump has previously referred to the Russia investigation as important, calling it an obstacle to carrying out his duties as president.

Allegations of lying and the White House's response

James Comey said in part of his speech that after being fired, he went home and wanted to be like a normal citizen, but the statements of the president and government officials worried him, and he is now ready to testify before Congress.

Mr. Comey said, "I was told I was incompetent or that my colleagues didn't trust me. Those were lies. The president and the administration lied about me."

Following James Comey's testimony at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, the White House responded by saying President Trump "is not a liar."

According to the Washington Post, after the former FBI director concluded his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, a White House spokesman said Thursday that President Trump "is not a liar," referring to James Comey's statements in the Senate.

What details do we know about the conversations between the president and Comey?

During Thursday's plenary session, James Comey declined to answer some questions because they contained classified material. The Senate Intelligence Committee will meet behind closed doors at 1 p.m. today to discuss the classified documents.

The Senate Intelligence Committee released a seven-page statement from Comey a day before he was due to appear before the committee, Reuters reported. The statement came a day before the director of national intelligence and other top U.S. intelligence officials declined to answer questions about Comey and the Russia investigation.

In the statement, Mr. Comey provided full details of five separate conversations he had with President Trump.

According to him, the first conversation took place five months ago, fourteen days before President Trump's inauguration, and the last conversation, which was by phone, took place less than two months ago.

The former FBI director will tell the Senate Intelligence Committee that President Trump has remained loyal to the president in these conversations, which have been about investigations into current and former officials in his administration.

In his published statements, Mr. Comey said he told President Trump three times that he was not the subject of an investigation into contacts between his administration officials and Russian government officials.

Elsewhere in his statement, Mr. Comey wrote that President Trump had asked him to drop the investigation into National Security Adviser Michael Flynn in a conversation three months earlier. The president had fired Mr. Flynn the day before the conversation. Mr. Comey quoted President Trump as saying that Flynn was a good man and that he hoped the FBI would drop the investigation.

President Trump's lawyer said after Mr. Comey's seven-page statement was released that President Trump was pleased that Comey had finally confirmed that the president was not the subject of the Russia investigation.

According to Mr. Comey, President Trump told him that the Russia investigation had created an environment that made it difficult to pursue essential programs that benefit the American people.

White House reaction

As Comey testifies before Congress, the White House believed it could block the ousted FBI director from testifying. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders invoked presidential powers, but President Trump said he would not use those powers to stop Comey.

However, some lawyers in Washington say the powers the White House says apply only when the witness is a federal employee, even though Mr. Comey is now a private citizen because President Trump fired him three weeks ago.

Political storm in Washington

Comey's firing was an unexpected move for Washington and set off a political storm.

At the center of the storm was the FBI investigation into possible collusion between President Trump's campaign, and specifically Michael Flynn, with Russia. Some Democrats accuse the rival of seeking help from Moscow to help Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump beat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, in exchange for the Trump administration lifting sanctions imposed by President Obama on Russia.

After Comey's firing, the media had controversial headlines every day, including the revelation that during a dinner in January, President Trump had told Comey that if he wanted to remain FBI director, he would have to show him absolute loyalty.

And most sensationally, President Trump asked Comey to close the Flynn-Russia case. The US president denies this charge, of course.

But analysts say that if the president's statements are true, he has interfered in the FBI's investigation process contrary to the law.

The president's desire to abruptly halt an ongoing investigation is worrisome to Democratic members of Congress, including Adam Schiff.

Mr. Schiff said that if this is true, it is another disturbing allegation that the president interfered and tried to obstruct the investigation.

President Trump fired Michael Flynn, then President Trump's national security adviser, after it was revealed that he had lied to the vice president about contacts with Russians.

Currently, the Flynn-Russia investigation is in the hands of an independent team led by Robert Mueller, the former chairman and highly respected by both Republicans and Democrats.

Source: Voice of America