Last Updated May 19, 2017 7:27 PM EDT
WASHINGTON -- Fired
FBI Director James Comey has agreed to testify in an open hearing of
the Senate Intelligence Committee, according to committee's leadership.
Committee
Chairman Sen. Richard Burr and Vice Chairman Sen. Mark Warner announced
late Friday that Comey will testify in a hearing to be scheduled after
Memorial Day. But Comey has declined to testify before the Senate
Judiciary Committee, which also extended him an invitation to testify,
according to that committee's chairman and ranking member.
The
news comes at the tail end of a whirlwind day in Washington, following
reports that President Trump told Russian diplomats he
fired "nut job" Comey to "relieve pressure" from the Russia investigation, and that
a senior White House adviser is a target of the law enforcement investigation into any ties between Russia and Trump associates.
Earlier in the week, reports emerged that Mr. Trump divulged
sensitive information to Russian diplomats and told Comey to drop the
FBI investigation into ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Comey's
expected testimony also comes after Attorney General Rod Rosenstein
announced the selection of former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special
counsel overseeing the FBI's Russia investigation.
"The
committee looks forward to receiving testimony from the former director
on his role in the development of the Intelligence Community Assessment
on Russian interference in the 2016 US elections, and I am hopeful that
he will clarify for the American people recent events that have been
broadly reported in the media," Burr, a Republican, said in a
statement.
Warner was slightly more specific, hoping Comey can answer events surrounding the president's actions.
"I
hope that former Director Comey's testimony will help answer some of
the questions that have arisen since Director Comey was so suddenly
dismissed by the President," Warner, a Democrat, said. "I also expect
that Director Comey will be able to shed light on issues critical to
this committee's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016
election. Director Comey served his country with honor for many years,
and he deserves an opportunity to tell his story. Moreover, the American
people deserve an opportunity to hear it."
Pressure is mounting
in Congress -- especially among Republicans -- to scrutinize Mr. Trump's
investigation in light of the rapid-fire sequences of events taking
place since Comey's firing more than a week ago.
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