In advance of former FBI director James Comey's testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, his prepared statement has been made public—and as Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren said on Twitter, "This whole thing is crazy."
Not only does Comey go into detail about several interactions with Donald Trump—including what sounds like an excruciatingly awkward dinner—he confirms that he "felt compelled" to document their every one-on-one meeting by writing a record of it immediately afterward.
According to Comey, Trump asked the FBI director for his loyalty and kept talking about how the investigation into whether the Trump campaign communicated inappropriately with Russian officials was a "cloud"; the president also asked Comey to declare publicly that Trump himself wasn't under investigation, and asked if the investigation into conversations disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn had with the Russian ambassador could be dropped.
"It was very concerning, given the FBI's role as an independent investigative agency," Comey wrote of that last request.
Some of the information in the testimony merely seems to confirm accounts of Comey's and Trump's interactions that were published in newspapers—still, it's significant that the former director is saying these things in front of Congress.
Needless to say, there's a lot to dig into here. Below are some questions that could be asked by Senators when Comey comes before them on Thursday:
- In what circumstances is it ever appropriate for the president and the FBI director to have one-on-one meetings? Why is that separation between the two individuals important?
- Were these one-on-one conversations with Trump appropriate, in your view?
- Why did you feel the need to document them? What about them was so different from your conversations with President Barack Obama, which you did not document?
- You did not inform Attorney General Jeff Sessions of Trump's request to "let it go" when it came to Flynn. Why did you keep that matter "closely held," as you put it? And why are you talking about it now?
- At one point, you told Sessions that you didn't want there to be any more "direct communication" between you and the president. Yet these communications continued for weeks. Why do you think the president continued to call upon you in these settings?
- Did the president seem familiar with or aware of the traditional divide between the Department of Justice and the White House?
- In the conversations you describe, the president is clearly asking things that are in your view inappropriate. Why then did you not tell him directly not to call you anymore, or refuse to take his calls?
- What was the president's mood when he asked you not to look into Flynn's conversations with the Russian ambassador?
- What was the president's mood when he asked about your testimony before Congress in March?
- You discussed leaks with the president and say you are concerned with leaks of classified information. Why do you think that leaks have been so common under the Trump administration?
- You shared your memos of interactions with Trump with senior FBI leadership. Details from these memos have subsequently been leaked to the press. Do you condemn these leaks?
- Did you ever consider recording any of your conversations with the president?
- Do you believe that the president recorded your conversations, as he once hinted on Twitter?
- Did you expect to be fired?
- Why do you think you were fired?
- You say that when you were discussing Flynn with Trump, the president said that he "had to let [Flynn] go because he had misled the Vice President," but "added that he had other concerns about Flynn, which he did not then specify." Do you know what those "other concerns" were?
- In your last phone conversation with Trump, he told you, "I have been very loyal to you, very loyal; we had that thing you know." How did you understand his reference to "that thing"?
- What was your reaction to Trump's specific statement that, to use your words, he "had not been involved with hookers in Russia"?
- Do you view Trump's statements to you and his attitude as being opposed to the FBI's investigation?
- What did you guys eat for dinner the night? Was it good?
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