Former FBI director James Comey is set to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. It’s the moment many have been waiting for since even before Comey was suddenly fired by Trump and stories about Comey’s detailed memos about his meetings with President Trump first surfaced. Around D.C. and elsewhere, anticipation for the Senate hearing has reached a fever pitch, but people might be wise to temper expectations.
According to ABC News, Comey will “stop short” of accusing President Trump of interfering in the (still ongoing) investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, according to sources close to Comey. It’s a blow for anyone predicting obstruction of justice charges for the president:
“He is not going to Congress to make accusations about the President’s intent, instead he’s there to share his concerns,” the source said, and tell the committee “what made him uneasy” and why he felt a need to write the memo documenting the conversation.
Comey told associates he plans to testify that despite the unusual request from the president he believed strongly that if he did his job properly he could conduct the investigation in an honest way.
However, Comey does plan to dispute Trump’s claim made in the letter announcing Comey’s termination that Comey told him on three separate occasions that he was not under investigation.
Asked by a reporter about Comey’s testimony at a meeting between Trump and GOP leaders, Trump said, “I wish him luck.”
(via ABC News)