James Comey's testimony was every bit as
explosive as predicted, as he answered questions about his conversations with
Donald Trump directly and honestly. He said that he had felt pressured by the
president to drop the investigation into Mike Flynn, that Trump had tried to
manipulate him into 'loyalty' and had said the Russia investigation was
irritating him.
Comey believed that he was fired because he
refused to protect Mike Flynn, or put a stop to the entire investigation.
He stated that the president lied when he said
the FBI was in disarray. When asked if there was any evidence of collusion with
Russia on Trump's part, Comey said he couldn't respond in an open hearing,
leaving everybody to draw their own conclusions. Comey also had something to
say about Jeff Sessions. “Our judgment, as I recall, was that he was very close
and inevitably going to recuse himself for a variety of reasons. We were also
aware of facts that I can’t discuss in an open setting that would make his
continued engagement in a Russia-related investigation problematic.”
When questioned about leaking his memos to
the press, Comey admitted that he asked a friend of his, Columbia Professor
Daniel Richman, to share his memo of a meeting with the president with the press,
because he was alarmed at the pressure being exerted on him, and hoped that his
memo would prompt the appointment of a special counsel.
