In this image provided by NBC News, President Donald Trump is interviewed by NBC's Lester Holt, Thursday, May 11, 2017.
That came almost a decade after Comey, whom Trump recently derided as "a showboat", first stepped onto the national stage with testimony about his hospital visit with the attorney general to prevent the reauthorization of a domestic surveillance program.
Former FBI Director James Comey did not hold back at the Senate hearing on Thursday.
Former FBI Director James Comey speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday, June 8, 2017, in Washington.
Now, it's imperative that Trump's new pick to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation - announced by tweet on the eve of Comey's testimony - like his predecessor resolutely reject any presidential request for "loyalty". Comey also refused to characterize anything the president had done as being against the law. Though the president has the authority to fire an FBI director, it would be a crime to do so in order to halt the Russian Federation investigation, she said.
Mr Comey did not make major new revelations about any links between Mr Trump or his associates and Russian Federation, an issue that has dogged the president's first months in office and distracted from his policy goals such as overhauling the U.S. healthcare system and making tax cuts.
Comey also testified in his written testimony that Trump, in a unusual private encounter near the grandfather clock in the Oval Office, pushed him to end his investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Coats and Rogers appeared before the intelligence panel on Wednesday, but refused to answer questions about their conversations with Trump or Comey - leading Burr to warn them that "at no time should you be in a position where you come to Congress without an answer" to questions.
In no time, local watering holes were offering specials to political junkies seeking to watch the hearing in a lubricated atmosphere.
And Comey told senators why he had decided what he must document every meeting he had with Trump, with a written record. As to the reasons Trump gave for canning him, Comey said, "Those were lies, plain and simple".
Comey didn't seem too itchy on the trigger.
While Mueller could ultimately conclude Trump obstructed justice, previous Justice Department legal opinions say he could not indict or charge a sitting president.
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At 21, Khachanov is the youngest man to reach the round of 16 at Roland Garros since US Open victor Marin Cilic, then 20, in 2009. But both men thought the match was decided in the first set, when Djokovic held two set points at 5-4, 15-40 on Thiem's serve.
When reporters asked Mr Trump after the testimony whether he thought Mr Comey was telling the truth, the president did not respond but simply smiled through pursed lips. Kasowitz denied Trump ever told Comey he needed and expected his loyalty. If Clinton had won in November, she likely would have fired Comey.
Comey described his dealings with Trump as awkward and disturbing because the president was trying to influence a criminal investigation.
The president crossed a line.
Trump has made clear on multiple occasions he believes the Russian Federation investigations have run their course and should be closed. But he also testified that another member of the FBI's leadership team believed that Trump's conduct "will fall within the scope" of the Russian Federation investigation and was therefore "reluctant" to assure the president that he was not personally under investigation. That's not exactly impartial.
"We will leave it to the appropriate authorities to determine whether these leaks should be investigated along with all the other leaks that are being investigated". And Comey discussed the contents of the memo in an open congressional hearing, which means the material he shared with his friend would not have been classified, Aftergood said.
There are several state and federal laws that make it crime to interfere with a court case, law enforcement investigation or government administrative proceeding.
Trump once suggested in a tweet that he may have taped conversations with Comey.
President Trump played to a friendly crowd Thursday at a Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, solidifying ties to evangelical voters who were instrumental in his election but also alienating gays that he has strived to embrace. In May, he gave inaccurate testimony about how often former Clinton aide Huma Abedin forwarded government emails to the laptop of her former husband. Trump's lawyer then declared his client had been "completely vindicated" because Comey had said under oath that Trump was not personally under investigation.
Team Trump's favorite takeaway is that Trump was not a subject of the Russian probe.
"Why did he kick everybody out of the Oval Office?" Comey felt intimidated. Who wouldn't be?
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