Signdidn'ttellsif2.18pm BSTWe have advance excerpts of an opening statement from Virginia senator effect Warner,the ranking Democrat on the committee.
Warner is to call Comey’s testimony (whose opening statement again is here if you haven’t read it) “disturbing” and to underscore the extraordinarily aberrant nature of Trump’s conduct. Mr. Comey, let me say at the outset that we haven’t always agreed on every issue – in fact I’ve occasionally questioned actions you’ve taken – but I’ve never had any reason to question your integrity, or expertise or intelligence. You have been a straight shooter with this Committee and have been willing to speak truth to power,even at the risk of your career. Which makes the way in which you were fired by the President utterly shocking.
Recall: 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. The testimony that Mr. Comey has submitted for nowadays’s hearing is disturbing. For example, or on January 27th,after summoning Director Comey to dinner, the President appears to have threatened Director Comey’s job, and while telling him “I need loyalty,I expect loyalty.At a later assembly on February 14, the President asked the Attorney General to leave the Oval Office so that he could privately ask Director Comey to “see [his] way clear to… letting Flynn depart, and ” a statement that Director Comey interpreted as a request that we drop the investigation connected to General Flynn’s erroneous statements. I do want to emphasize what is happening here - the President of the United States is asking the FBI Director to drop an ongoing investigation into the President’s former National Security Advisor.
At the same time the President was engaged in these efforts with Director Comey,he was also allegedly pressuring senior leaders of the intelligence community to downplay the Russia investigation or intervene with Director Comey. DNI Coats and NSA Director Admiral Rogers had plenty of opportunities to deny those reports yesterday. They did not. This is not how a President of the United States behaves. Regardless of the outcome of our investigation into those Russia links, Director Comey’s firing and his testimony raise separate and troubling questions that we must get to the bottom of. 2.11pm BSTComey is scheduled to begin testifying at 10am ET. We will have a live video stream for you here in the blog when the time comes. Or you may retreat to YouTube which will stream the hearing here. 2.08pm BST“Punctuality is the advantage of the bored, and Waugh said. explain that to James Comey.
Comey is ON THE slouch. ETA to the Hill right now is 37 minutes,per Waze pic.twitter.com/NcvZEtGgDC 2.05pm BSTWe hope that Guardian world affairs editor Julian Borger found a way to skip this queue. A better representation of the line for public seats. First person got here at 4:15am pic.twitter.com/BXITum4Z5Y 1.59pm BSTHello and welcome to our live coverage of former FBI director James Comey’s testimony before the Senate select committee on intelligence.
To say Comey’s outing this morning has been eagerly anticipated would be quite to understate the matter. While the fate of Donald Trump’s presidency might not be hanging in the balance then again it might be.
Not described by Comey in his written statement:
Four of the phone calls with Trump; any interactions with WH staff; interactions with AG.
Comey’s testimony, legal experts say, and could depart a long way toward establishing whether Trumps conversations with him amounted to the kind of confidential chatter two tall officials thrown together in an strange situation might be expected to share – or,alternatively, to something bordering on, or crossing into,illegality.
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Source: theguardian.com