Comey has been expected to testify about his private interactions with the president, as well as the detailed memos he took describing the conversations.
WASHINGTON – Former FBI Director James Comey is preparing to testify to Congress as early as next week about his private conversations with President Donald Trump leading up to his abrupt firing, according to people familiar with the matter.
Since his dismissal earlier this month, Comey had been expected to testify at some point about his private interactions with the president, as well as the detailed memos he took describing the conversations.
Before he could testify, however, Comey had to ensure his appearance at a public hearing would not complicate the ongoing investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is overseeing the probe of possible coordination between Russian agents and Trump campaign officials during last year’s presidential campaign.
Comey and the special counsel’s office have reached an understanding about what he can and cannot discuss, clearing the way for his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter who cautioned that a date for his appearance had not been finalized and it could take longer to schedule. The development was first reported by CNN.
Comey, who was fired less than four years into his 10-year term as director of the FBI, is expected to talk about his conversations with the president and the notes he took about those talks.
According to people familiar with those notes, the president in February pressed Comey to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Comey also documented an earlier private discussion in which the president asked the FBI director to pledge his loyalty to him, and Comey demurred, according to people familiar with the notes. He is not expected to reveal any new details about the ongoing probe of Trump associates and whether they engaged in any illicit activities with Russian agents seeking to meddle with the election, according to people familiar with the matter.
Public testimony by the former FBI director could mark another major development in the controversy engulfing the Trump administration about past contacts with Russian officials – and whether the president or White House officials took steps to try to squelch the investigation.
A spokesman for Mueller declined to comment. A spokeswoman for Sen. Richard Burr, R-N. C., chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the panel “welcomes the testimony of former Director Comey, but does not have an announcement to make at this time.”
On Wednesday, a White House spokesman said all future questions regarding the Russia matter would be handled by Trump’s personal attorney.
Trump has called the Russia probe a witch hunt and denied any wrongdoing. When Comey was fired, White House officials first claimed it was due to his handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was secretary of state. The president later said he was thinking about the Russia matter when he decided to fire Comey.
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Author Information:
Devlin Barrett writes about national security, homeland security and counterterrorism for The Post. He joined the newspaper in 2017 after 15 years with The Wall Street Journal and the AP. His first newspaper job was as a copy boy at the New York Post, and has covered law enforcement – from local cops to global manhunts – for more than 20 years.
The Washington Post’s Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report.
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