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Live Briefing: Comey Testimony and Key Questions About the Hearing Comey Testimony: Trump Administration Lied About Him and Defamed F.B.I.
(about 1 hour later)
• James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, is coming to Capitol Hill on Thursday. He is likely to attract a bit of attention. • James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, testified that President Trump and others in his administration had lied when they said agents had lost confidence in Mr. Comey.
• With his widely anticipated testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mr. Comey, whom President Trump fired last month, will have the chance to tell his story in a public session that administration officials view with varying degrees of dread. • Mr. Trump planned to monitor the hearing at the White House with his legal team and close advisers.
• Mr. Trump plans to monitor the hearing at the White House with his legal team and close advisers. • “Today is your opportunity to set the record straight,” the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman, Richard Burr of North Carolina, said to Mr. Comey.
Here are the key questions — for Mr. Comey and his inquisitors — entering the hearing. Mr. Comey said Mr. Trump lied to the American public when he said that the F.B.I. was in disarray and that agents had lost confidence in Mr. Comey.
Often, intelligence officials go before the Senate as relative unknowns to the viewing public. That is not the case with Mr. Comey. “Those were lies, plain and simple,” Mr. Comey said in brief opening remarks.
As a figure of Shakespearean proportion in the 2016 election and the early Trump presidency, Mr. Comey has for months carved out a singular place in the nation’s political psyche. Mr. Trump made that claim when he fired Mr. Comey last month. Mr. Comey said he was confused and concerned by Mr. Trump’s changing explanation for why he fired him.
This continued on Wednesday with the release of his prepared opening remarks. In them, Mr. Comey detailed Mr. Trump’s efforts to influence the F.B.I.’s investigation into Russian meddling in the election, including repeated attempts to coax Mr. Comey into announcing that the president himself was not under investigation. Mr. Comey learned of his firing from the news media. He offered a heartfelt farewell to his former employees.
Though the written statement removed a measure of drama from the proceedings — answering a handful of key questions pre-emptively — there appears to be bipartisan consensus that Mr. Comey will find a way to make more news on Thursday, with the cameras rolling anew. “I am so sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye to you publicly,” Mr. Comey said.
Mr. Comey said he began taking notes on his meetings with the president because, from his first interaction with him, during the transition period, he thought Mr. Trump might lie about what was said.
He testified that he documented all of his meetings with Mr. Trump because it was so unusual for him to be discussing ongoing investigations, alone, with a sitting president. Mr. Comey had served in senior law enforcement positions under three presidents.
“The combination of factors just wasn’t present with either President Bush or President Obama,” he said.
Mr. Burr and Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the commitee’s top Democrat, both set a solemn tone for the nearing.
Mr. Burr pointed out that there are two sides to the stories Mr. Comey was set to tell about his one-on-one interactions with President Trump. During one of them, Mr. Trump asked Mr. Comey to drop the F.B.I.’s investigation into his former national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn.
“The American people need to hear your side of the story, just as they need to hear the president’s description of events,” Mr. Burr said.
Mr. Warner highlighted the more serious allegations from Mr. Comey’s prepared testimony, emphasizing the importance of his appearance to the panel’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“Let me be clear,” he said. “This is not a witch hunt. This is not fake news. It is an effort to protect our country from a new threat that will not go away anytime soon.”
It has been one of the biggest holes in the Comey-Trump story: If Mr. Trump asked Mr. Comey to drop the F.B.I. investigation into Michael T. Flynn, his former national security adviser — a request that some say could amount to obstruction of justice — why didn’t Mr. Comey report it to Jeff Sessions, the attorney general?It has been one of the biggest holes in the Comey-Trump story: If Mr. Trump asked Mr. Comey to drop the F.B.I. investigation into Michael T. Flynn, his former national security adviser — a request that some say could amount to obstruction of justice — why didn’t Mr. Comey report it to Jeff Sessions, the attorney general?
In his prepared remarks, Mr. Comey said he had shared details of their conversations with “the senior leadership team of the F.B.I.”In his prepared remarks, Mr. Comey said he had shared details of their conversations with “the senior leadership team of the F.B.I.”
But after Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey he hoped he would ease off the inquiry into Mr. Flynn, Mr. Comey said the team agreed not to inform Mr. Sessions — who was on the cusp of recusing himself from the investigation — or those working on the investigation.But after Mr. Trump told Mr. Comey he hoped he would ease off the inquiry into Mr. Flynn, Mr. Comey said the team agreed not to inform Mr. Sessions — who was on the cusp of recusing himself from the investigation — or those working on the investigation.
It is likely that Republicans will not be satisfied with that explanation and push him to elaborate on why he did not tell Mr. Sessions or others at the Justice Department.It is likely that Republicans will not be satisfied with that explanation and push him to elaborate on why he did not tell Mr. Sessions or others at the Justice Department.
The White House cycled through a few explanations for Mr. Comey’s firing. Among the most colorful: He was too much of a “showboat,” in Mr. Trump’s estimation.
There are Democrats who would surely agree in private, recalling his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation and general instinct for the spotlight.
But the potency of Mr. Comey’s testimony — and he is well-practiced in the art of appearing before Congress — could hinge at least in part on style as much as substance.
Will he register to viewers as a credible witness, with no choice but to share tales of executive behavior that made him uneasy at best, or a disgruntled, publicity hungry former official with axes to grind?
The White House has a preference, but also faces a bind: As the administration embraces Mr. Comey’s account of telling Mr. Trump that he was not under investigation when they spoke, it could become more difficult for the president to discredit less flattering anecdotes from the same messenger.
In the end, what occurred between Mr. Comey and Mr. Trump boils down to a case of “he said, he said,” a vulnerability Mr. Comey acknowledges in his opening statement.In the end, what occurred between Mr. Comey and Mr. Trump boils down to a case of “he said, he said,” a vulnerability Mr. Comey acknowledges in his opening statement.
Some Republicans on the committee may seize on that ambiguity to cast doubt on Mr. Comey’s account, pointing out that there is no way to corroborate his claims. Republicans did not wait for Mr. Comey’s testimony to start the counterattack, releasing a statement on Thursday assailing his credibility and, in effect, foreshadowing the tough questioning he can expect to face.
But at least a few Republicans have expressed concerns about the allegations, signaling that Mr. Trump may not be able to rely on his party to shield him. On Wednesday, Senator John McCain of Arizona, who is an ex officio member of the committee, called it “more than disturbing” if Mr. Trump did, in fact, try to interfere in the Russia investigation. The statement issued by the Republican National Committee argued that Mr. Comey had given conflicting versions of events, pointing to testimony he gave to Congress last month shortly before being fired in which he said that the F.B.I. had not been “told to stop something for a political reason.”
Of course, shortly after firing Mr. Comey, Mr. Trump raised the prospect that there could be a way to verify their claims: “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” he said on Twitter. (No evidence has since emerged that such “tapes” exist.) No doubt, Mr. Comey will be asked to reconcile that testimony with his opening statement that describes Mr. Trump asking him to “let this go,” referring to an investigation into Mr. Flynn.
The Republicans also highlighted questions previously asked publicly by lawmakers about why Mr. Comey did not act when he said the president asked him to halt the investigation into Mr. Flynn if he felt it was inappropriate. And the statement quoted many Democrats who have criticized Mr. Comey previously for his handling of the F.B.I. investigation last year into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state.
The revelations that Mr. Trump may have tried to meddle in an F.B.I. investigation have been enough to push some Democrats in recent weeks to utter a charged term: impeachment. But Democratic leaders have rebuffed the more fervid among the rank and file; they do not want to squander their credibility by looking too politically motivated.The revelations that Mr. Trump may have tried to meddle in an F.B.I. investigation have been enough to push some Democrats in recent weeks to utter a charged term: impeachment. But Democratic leaders have rebuffed the more fervid among the rank and file; they do not want to squander their credibility by looking too politically motivated.
There is also a related concern: Expectations for Russia-tinged investigations have escalated so quickly that the Democratic base might be disappointed with anything less than a decisive blow on Thursday.There is also a related concern: Expectations for Russia-tinged investigations have escalated so quickly that the Democratic base might be disappointed with anything less than a decisive blow on Thursday.
Nevertheless, Democrats are horrified by the allegations against Mr. Trump and eager to give Mr. Comey a public forum.Nevertheless, Democrats are horrified by the allegations against Mr. Trump and eager to give Mr. Comey a public forum.
“It’s outrageous,” Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the committee’s top Democrat, said in an interview on Wednesday. “He needs to tell his side of the story.”
Presidents are busy, in theory at least, with little bandwidth for daytime television in the West Wing — at least historically.Presidents are busy, in theory at least, with little bandwidth for daytime television in the West Wing — at least historically.
But Mr. Trump will be watching. He is expected to monitor the hearing with his legal team and close advisers, a senior administration official said.But Mr. Trump will be watching. He is expected to monitor the hearing with his legal team and close advisers, a senior administration official said.
And if past episodes are instructive, it is a matter of when, not if, Mr. Trump chooses to offer his review of the show. Whether Mr. Trump is on Twitter or in front of the cameras, his reaction might well become as much of a story as the hearing itself, informing the administration’s bid to contain damage that could result from Mr. Comey’s remarks.And if past episodes are instructive, it is a matter of when, not if, Mr. Trump chooses to offer his review of the show. Whether Mr. Trump is on Twitter or in front of the cameras, his reaction might well become as much of a story as the hearing itself, informing the administration’s bid to contain damage that could result from Mr. Comey’s remarks.
On at least one point near to his heart, Mr. Trump will perhaps be compelled to acknowledge his grudging respect: For a deposed federal employee, Mr. Comey will probably get good ratings.On at least one point near to his heart, Mr. Trump will perhaps be compelled to acknowledge his grudging respect: For a deposed federal employee, Mr. Comey will probably get good ratings.
Outside the hearing room, would-be spectators were gathering before sunrise to try to get a seat. At the Partisan bar, a 10-minute walk from the Trump International Hotel in Washington, patrons ordered breakfast sandwiches and snapped pictures of the CNN coverage blaring from the televisions as they waited for Mr. Comey’s testimony to begin.
Joe Noser, wearing a gray suit and mint-green tie, looked surprisingly fresh for someone who camped out at the Capitol on Wednesday night. Armed with blankets, snacks and a change of clothes, Mr. Noser, 19, said he wanted to be there for the “spectacle.” “This is history in the making,” said Andria Eguia, 43, one of 20 people who made a reservation to watch the hearing. Ms. Eguia, a San Francisco-based attorney, took a break with a co-worker from a four-day conference to see the hearing. “We’ve been scoping out places.”
“It will be the coolest thing to tell your grandkids down the road,” he said. “‘I was able to see the Comey hearing.’” While the bar is offering $6 specials on two cocktails, called Drop the Bomb and Last Word, she and a fellow attorney, Adrienne Mendle, opted for water and a blood-orange-flavored San Pellegrino sparkling water. With all the tables reserved for the bar’s early opening, walk-ins began filling in at the bar, speculating about what Mr. Comey was likely to say.
Mr. Warner plans to say in an opening statement that he found Mr. Comey’s advance testimony “disturbing” — and possibly pointing to a “violation of clear guidelines put in place after Watergate to prevent any whiff of political interference by the White House into F.B.I. investigations.” Some began to shush the crowd as Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, made opening statements.
“I do want to emphasize what is happening here,” Mr. Warner said in advance excerpts from his remarks. “The president of the United States is asking the F.B.I. director to drop an ongoing investigation into the president’s former national security adviser.”
“We began this entire process with the president and his staff first denying that the Russians were ever involved, and then falsely claiming that no one from his team was ever in touch with any Russians. We now know that this is not true,” he said.