House committee subpoenas Comey, Lynch as part of probe
WASHINGTON — Former FBI chief James Comey said Thursday he will resist a subpoena to appear before a congressional committee Dec. 3 unless that happens publicly because House Republicans will distort anything he says behind closed doors.
“I’m still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions,” he tweeted.
House Judiciary Committee chairman Rep. Bob Goodlatte, of Virginia, subpoenaed Comey as part of an investigation into FBI decisions made during the 2016 election, when Demo- crat Hillary Clinton was cleared in a probe into her email use and agents opened an investigation into Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia.
The committee also subpoenaed former Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
Lynch is scheduled to appear Dec. 4 and speak with members of the House Judiciary and Oversight and Government Reform committees.
Some Republicans have argued that Justice officials were conspiring against Trump’s election when Comey ran the bureau, and they have interviewed mul- tiple current and former Justice officials behind closed doors in an effort to prove their point. Democrats say Republicans are trying to discredit special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation before they lose control of the House in January.
Comey, who was fired by Trump, tweeted of House Republicans: “I’ve seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion. Let’s have a hearing and invite everyone to see.”
His lawyer, David Kelley, said in a statement that Comey “will resist in court this abuse of process.”