New York Times Stands By Trump-Russia Report That James Comey Disputed

The hearing unfolded amid intense political interest, and within a remarkable political context as Comey delivered detrimental testimony about the president who fired him, a president who won election only after Comey damaged his opponent, Hillary Clinton, in the final days of the campaign.

This year's star player is James Comey, the former FBI director fired by President Donald Trump ostensibly for pursuing the investigation into whether his campaign colluded with Russian Federation to try and influence the 2016 election. It may prove injurious - possibly fatal - to the political fortunes of the Trump administration. John McCainJohn McCainWinners and losers from Comey's testimony Meghan McCain: Trump must "clean house" after Comey hearing Arizona Diamondbacks to McCain: Shrug MORE's (R-Ariz.) daughter. That would be obstruction of justice. One target is retired Lt.

He also said the President had demanded his loyalty, pressed him to drop a probe into ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn and repeatedly pressured him to publicly declare that he was not under investigation. Many senators focused on Comey's language in his meetings with Trump and the chain of command Comey had to follow.

Did Comey's testimony support an obstruction of justice charge?

"I think that public opinion polls show that there is a very substantial majority of the populace, including people who voted for him, who believe that President Trump does not really have much adherence to the truth and if he says something that's true, it's nearly an accident", he said.

The facts are straightforward but still shocking. Mueller and his investigators now have the meticulous memoranda of conversations Comey had with Trump. "I hope you can let this go", Mr. Comey had previously recalled Mr. Trump telling him.

Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, blasted Comey for making "unauthorized disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the president", and argued the former FBI director's testimony confirmed Trump didn't attempt to impede the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

"Was General Flynn, at that time, in serious legal jeopardy?" asked Senate intelligence committee chairman Richard Burr, a North Carolina Republican. Jim Risch of Idaho questioned whether the word, "hope" made the president's comments seem more like speculation than an outright command, the conversation turned to British history and something Henry II once allegedly said about Archbishop of Canterbuy Thomas Beckett more than nine centuries ago, "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?" "I was so stunned by the conversation that I just took it in".

The former FBI director told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday that he was convinced that Trump fired him on May 9 because he refused to tamp down the Russian Federation investigation. "If the election were on October 27, I would be your president", Clinton said last month. Subsequent reporting by The Times and other media outlets have verified the reporting, she said. "What was the response of your colleagues?" Maybe the American people don't.

Later Comey was pressed about why he accommodatingly told Trump in the March 30 call that he "would see what we could do" to lift the "cloud" of the Russian Federation investigation. That means that Mueller and the Bureau might be looking at Trump as a potential subject of a criminal case. The law makes it a crime to corruptly obstruct, influence or impede an FBI investigation. The truth here is we have yet to learn the truth. But back in June 1974, two months before Nixon resigned, news broke that he had been named as an "unindicted co-conspirator" by the federal grand jury in the Watergate case.

He wrote memos after his encounters and briefed his closest aides. All three went to prison.