Director James Comey refused to discuss several things in public during his Thursday testimony – including the infamous ‘dirty dossier’ of supposedly compromising material on Donald Trump.
The infamous ‘dirty dossier’ of supposedly compromising material the Russians held on Donald Trump got a new shot of attention when fired FBI Director James Comey testified Thursday he couldn’t discuss it in public.
Comey referenced ‘salacious’ charges against the president high up in written testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee – which brought on questioning about the document during his blockbuster in-person testimony on Thursday.
Some of the allegations in the document compiled by an ex-British intelligence officer Christopher Steele have been discredited.
Republican Senate Intelligence chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina was among those trying to probe the dossier and its allegations at Thursday’s Comey hearing.
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‘In the public domain is this question of the “Steele dossier, ” a document that has been around out in for over a year. I’m not sure when the FBI first took possession of it, but the media had it before you had it and we had it. At the time of your departure from the FBI, was the FBI able to confirm any criminal allegations contained in the Steele document?’ Burr wanted to know.
“Mr. Chairman, I don’ t think that’s a question I can answer in an open setting because it goes into the details of the investigation, ‘ Comey replied, leading to a long pause from Burr.
Comey also referenced in written testimony that Trump had called him up and specifically rejected a charge that he had anything to do with ‘hookers’ in Russia.
In a March 30 phone call, according to Comey, Trump called and said he ‘had nothing to do with Russia, had not been involved with hookers in Russia.’
According to an article in Bloomberg News, Comey could have introduced the Russia statements to give special counsel Robert Mueller an avenue to explore the veracity of Trump’s statements.
Comey brought up the dossier in the first page of his written testimony, writing: “The [Intelligence community] leadership thought it important, for a variety of reasons, to alert the incoming President to the existence of this material, even though it was salacious and unverified.’
The dossier also contains an unverified claim about an offer by a Putin ally to offer Trump hundreds of millions of dollars through a sale of a stake in Rosneft.
‘And when you read the dossier, what was your reaction, given that it was 100 per cent directed at the president-elect?’ Burr persisted.
‘Not a question I can answer in open setting, Mr. Chairman, ‘ Comey responded.
Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) asked: ‘In regard to [Trump} being personally under investigation, does that mean that the dossier is not being reviewed or investigated or followed up on in any way?
Comey responded: ‘I obviously can’t comment either way. I talk in an open setting about the investigation as it was when I was head of the FBI. It is Bob Mueller’s responsibility now. I don’t know, ‘ he said.
He also wouldn’t say whether fired national security advisor was a central figure in the FBI’s Russia investigation.
‘Now, on the Flynn investigation, is it not true that Mr. Flynn was and is a central figure in this entire investigation of the relationship between the Trump campaign and the Russians?’ King asked.
‘I can’t answer that in an open setting, sir.’
‘Certainly, Mr. Flynn was part of the so-called Russian investigation? Can you answer that question?’ King pressed.
‘I have to give you the same answer, ‘ said Comey.
‘Did you ever come close to closing the investigation on Mr. Flynn?’ asked Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
‘I don’t think I can talk about that in open setting either, ‘ Comey responded.
CNN reported that during a closed session that followed the public hearing, Comey said attorney general Jeff Sessions hay have had a third undisclosed meeting with Russian ambassador to the U. S. Sergey Kislyak.
Comey said in the open hearing regarding Sessions: ‘We considered whether to tell — the attorney general … we believe rightly he was shortly going to recuse, ‘ but didn’t say why.
Sessions ultimately recused himself from the Russia probe after contacts with Kislyak were revealed.
