Some Democrats worry about possible obstruction of justice by Trump; Republicans prefer to await findings of probes<\/b>
\nComey said Trump asked him to back off the investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, leading Democrats to suggest it amounted to obstruction of justice. Republicans preferred to wait and see what comes out of the ongoing investigations by congressional committees and Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III.
\u201cAfter publicly calling for former FBI Director Comey to testify, I appreciate his honest remarks today, \u201d Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, said in a statement. \u201cAs I\u2019 ve said all along, we must continue to follow the facts wherever they lead.\u201d
Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, said Comey\u2019s testimony contradicted Trump\u2019s past denials that he ever requested that the then-FBI director drop the investigation into Flynn.
\u201cIf the president asked the FBI director to drop a federal investigation into his former national security adviser, that is a very serious abuse of power by the president, \u201d Kildee said.
\u201cNo American, including the president of the United States, should be allowed to obstruct our justice system.\u201d
In his appearance before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, Comey declined to comment on whether he believed the president committed obstruction of justice when he told Comey of the Flynn investigation, \u201cI hope you can let this go.\u201d
During questioning, Comey repeatedly stated how he interpreted Trump\u2019s intent: \u201cI took it as a direction.\u201d
Some Republicans have defended Trump, saying the president was simply making a suggestion.
\u201cDonald Trump is the president of the United States. If he calls you into his office, tells everyone else to leave the room and then tells you he wants this to go away, how else can that be interpreted?\u201d said Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Southfield, at the U. S. Capitol.
\u201cComey has an up-and-down relationship, as far as I\u2019 m concerned with him. I\u2019 ve questioned his behavior. I\u2019 ve questioned his decisions sometimes. But for him to sit there and say, this is what happened \u2014 this is a powerful day on the Hill. This is not going to go away.\u201d
But Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Zeeland, said Comey\u2019s testimony demonstrates why he lost the trust of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle \u201ca long time ago.\u201d
\u201cI, like the rest of America, am just trying to figure out where the truth lies in all this stuff, \u201d Huizenga said at the Capitol.
He questioned why Comey didn\u2019 t come to Congress with his concerns over what he perceived as political pressure from Trump regarding the FBI inquiry, but arranged for a friend at Columbia University to leak a summary of his conversations with the president. Comey testified that he hoped the leak would prompt the appointment of a special prosecutor to lead the Russia investigation.
\u201cI don\u2019 t think the guy admitting that he\u2019s leaking his own memos builds up confidence in lawmakers, \u201d Huizenga said.
\u201cThere are proper channels that even the FBI director needs to follow. I\u2019 m assuming there was nothing in those memos that was classified, but it was certainly sensitive. Why would he take that route? That is ham-handed at best in my mind.\u201d
Under questioning from Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, Comey said \u201cI was a bit stunned and didn\u2019 t have the presence of mind\u201d to immediately raise concerns with senior White House officials or the White House Counsel\u2019s office about Trump\u2019s comments.
Rep. Paul Mitchell, R-Dryden, seized on Comey\u2019s acknowledgment that he had told Trump he was not personally under investigation into whether his associates colluded with Russian agents regarding the 2016 presidential election.
\u201cFormer FBI Director Comey confirmed that President Trump was not under investigation at the time of his firing. The ongoing investigations by the Special Counsel, the House, and Senate will continue, \u201d Mitchell said in a statement.
Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland, stressed that Comey had led a professional investigation at the FBI that still continues.
\u201cI hope his testimony will allow the FBI, House and Senate to finish their investigations in a timely manner that thoroughly answers the questions of the American people, \u201d Moolenaar said.
Rep. Sandy Levin, D-Royal Oak, said that based on Comey\u2019s testimony, there\u2019s \u201cclearly\u201d a need for further investigation by the congressional Intelligence committees, by Mueller and by an independent commission.
\u201cDirector Comey\u2019s testimony today described the unusual lengths to which Donald Trump used his position as president to affect official investigations into Russian interference in our election, \u201d Levin said.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, described Thursday\u2019s revelations as \u201cdeeply concerning.\u201d
\u201cIt is our job to ensure there is an independent and non-partisan investigation, unobstructed by anyone, and that we are united as Americans in getting the truth, \u201d she said.
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, said the hearing reinforced the importance of getting \u201cto the bottom of the facts behind Russian interference in our elections.
\u201cThe American people deserve to know the full truth about Russia\u2019s efforts to undermine the sanctity of our democracy, and this investigation is simply too important to be stymied.\u201d
Republican Rep. Justin Amash of the Grand Rapids area \u2014 an outspoken Trump critic when he differs with the president \u2014 declined to comment.
mburke@detroitnews.com
(202) 662-8736<\/p>\n

\n

Similarity rank: 24<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: 0.7<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

TW posts: 1<\/div>\n

TW reposts: 0<\/div>\n

TW likes: 0<\/div>\n<\/div>\n