FBI chief to shy away from most explosive Trump accusation
DONALD TRUMP’S former FBI director is expected to stop short of accusing the president of obstructing justice when he gives evidence before a Senate committee tomorrow in the latest twist of a saga that has evoked comparisons with the Watergate scandal that brought down Richard Nixon.
Television networks have already begun counting down to what they are calling a “bombshell” hearing and cleared their schedules to carry live coverage of James Comey’s testimony.
He led the investigation into alleged links between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin until he was fired by the president last month.
“He is not going to Congress to make accusations about the president’s intent, instead he’s there to share his concerns,” a source familiar with his thinking told ABC News, adding he would instead stick to the facts and set out his concerns about what happened during meetings.
That will be a relief to an embattled White House which knows that “obstruction of justice” was one of the charges that helped bring down Nixon and used to impeach Bill Clinton.
Much of the hearing is expected to focus on a memo written by Mr Comey and obtained by The New York Times, detailing how Mr Trump asked his FBI director to drop his investigation into Michael Flynn, the national security adviser sacked for lying about his contacts with Russian officials.
The question of ties to Russia has cast a long shadow over Mr Trump’s White House. Intelligence agencies believe the Kremlin ordered hackers to help sway last election in favour of the billionaire businessman.
No evidence has emerged that anyone in Mr Trump’s circle was aware of the efforts but the president’s own admission that the Russia investigation was on his mind when he fired Mr Comey has fuelled speculation about a White House cover-up.
Meanwhile, it emerged that a security contractor arrested following a leak of classified intelligence had frequently posted criticism of Mr Trump on social media, describing him as a “soulless ginger orangutan”.
Reality Leigh Winner, 25, is accused of printing out a “top secret” report and sending it to The Intercept, an online national security news site.
It suggested the Russian election hack penetrated far deeper into US voting systems than was previously known.