Russia interfered in US elections, says FBI exchief Comey
Former FBI director James Comey on Thursday accused President Donald Trump of firing him to try to undermine the bureau’s investigation into possible collusion between his campaign team and Russia.
Trump dismissed Comey on May 9 and the administration gave differing reasons for the action. Trump later contradicted his own staff and acknowledged he fired Comey because of the Russia probe. Asked at a US congressional hearing why he was fired, Comey said he did not know for sure. But he added: “Again, I take the president’s words. I know I was fired because of something about the way I was conducting the Russia investigation was in some way putting pressure on him, in some way irritating him, and he decided to fire me because of that.”
Fired FBI director James Comey told a US senate committee at a much-anticipated public hearing on Thursday that President Donald Trump and others in the White House had lied about the reasons for his firing and had sought to defame him and the investigating agency he had then headed.
But Comey was very clear, and repeatedly so in oral remarks and written testimony released on Wednesday, that Trump was never under investigation personally, as the president has stated multiple times.
Not before, or at the time of his stunning and abrupt dismissal on May 9, Comey added.
Comey confirmed a lot of the previously known details about his conversations with the president but didn’t disclose anything new in his oral testimony till the writing of this report, or in the written testimony he had submitted to the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier.
He is speaking publicly for the first time since his firing, about the circumstances leading up to it and his interactions with Trump.
In his opening oral remarks, Comey said although the law required no reason at all to fire an FBI director, “the administration then chose to defame me and, more importantly, the FBI by saying that the organisation was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader. Those were lies, plain and simple.”
Asked by a senator why he thought he was fired, Comey said, “I don’t know for sure. I take the
› The nature of Trump … I have never experienced this before...I created records...I knew there might come a day when I would need a record to defend myself JAMES COMEY, Former FBI director fired by US President Donald Trump
president’s word that I was fired because of the Russia investigation. He apparently felt it created pressure on him he wanted to relieve. I take him at his word.”
He added: “My judgment (is) that I was fired because of Russia investigation, to change way investigation is being conducted. That is a big deal because of nature of FBI, which must not be subject of political consideration.”
Asked about his memos — written notes he kept of all his one-on-one conversations with Trump (nine in all, three face-toface meetings and six phone conversations) — Comey reflected deep distrust of the president.
“The nature of Trump … I have never experienced this before...I created records after each of our nine conversations—if not, I did it for nearly all.
“I knew there might come a day when I would need a record to defend myself and FBI’s integrity and independence. Circumstances, subject matter, particular person at issue.”
On the president’s tweet about tapes of their conversations, the former FBI director said, in a line that went viral on social media, “I’ve seen the tweet about tapes. Lordy, I hope there are tapes.”
And later he added he would like them to be released.
The former FBI director also said he took the president’s request on Michael Flynn — to let go off the probe — as a direction.
The president, who was reported to be following the testimony, had not responded.
But Marc Kasowitz, who is leading the president’s defence in the Russia probe from outside the White House, said in a statement on Wednesday, in response to Comey’s written opening remarks, the president was “pleased that Mr Comey has finally publicly confirmed his private reports that the President was not under investigation in any Russia probe”.
“The president feels completely and totally vindicated.”