Trump claims 'complete vindication' after Comey testimony

A month after he was abruptly fired by President Donald Trump, former FBI Director James Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday regarding his conversations with the president and the federal investigation into Russia's meddling in last year's presidential election.

Trump's tweet said: "Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication. and WOW, Comey is a leaker".

Collins, a member of the Senate intelligence committee, which is investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 election, said Comey's motivation "may have been a good one".

It also raised questions as to why he shared them with a friend to leak to the media but did not share them with Congress or others investigating whether the Trump administration ever colluded with Russian Federation.

Senator Tim Kaine, the 2016 Democratic vice presidential candidate, said on Friday that Comey's testimony provided a wealth of information for both the congressional and special counsel investigations. The New York Times reported that Comey had told associates that Trump was "outside the realm of normal", even "crazy".

Comey said that at least some of the notes - including a memo that described a February 14 conversation in which the president allegedly talked about the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn and said he hoped Comey could "let this go" - did not contain classified information.

Trump's private attorney, Marc Kasowitz, seized on Comey's admission that he had told Trump on multiple occasions that he was not personally under investigation and maintained the testimony made clear that Trump "never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone".

President Donald Trump's lawyer reportedly plans to file a complaint against ousted FBI Director James Comey over his decision to leak memos of his conversations with the commander in chief.

Things started out rough for the president as Comey used his opening statement to dispute Trump's claims that the former director had been unpopular with rank-and-file FBI agents and that the bureau was in disarray during his tenure.

From his first meeting with the then-president-elect in early January, Comey said he felt the need to document their conversations. Answering a question from Burr, Comey said that he would not express an opinion on whether Trump's request constituted obstruction, but would leave the decision to Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel running the investigation.

"Those were lies. Plain and simple", Comey said.

"That is a very big deal, and not just because it involves me".

Oregon Senator Ron Wyden was among those questioning Comey. "President, this is wrong, '?"

He also hoped it would spur a special counsel investigation, which it did.

"I also believe the Holocaust was the most significant event in history, not just because it was a display of inhumanity, but because it was also the most horrific display of our humanity - our true capacity for evil and for moral surrender", he said.

Comey also made clear that political entanglement in law enforcement has cut across party lines.

Wittes, who is also the editor of the influential Lawfare blog, has said he and Comey are meet-now-and-then-for-lunch friends, but not close friends.

Comey said he was confused and concerned about the guidance because the Clinton campaign was using "euphemisms" for it, including a "matter", suggesting that maybe the Justice Department was being a little too accommodating to the Clinton operation. But it gave him a "queasy feeling".

Under questioning Thursday, Comey reaffirmed the intelligence community's conclusion that Russian Federation meddled in the election. "The Russians interfered", Comey stated firmly. "That happened. It's about as un-fake as you can possibly get".