By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
Former FBI Direct0r James Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee today that he believed Donald Trump was giving him a “direction” when the president told him that he “hoped you can let” the Flynn investigation go.
Comey was referring to a Feb. 14 meeting in which the president spoke privately and one-on-one with the FBI director in the Oval Office.
The meeting came one day before Flynn, who had lied to lawmakers and the vice president about contacts with a Russian ambassador, resigned under pressure.
According to Comey, who was fired by Trump last month, the president told him that he hoped he could “see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”
Comey interpreted Trump’s statements “as a direction,” which is important for investigators who are trying to determine whether Trump obstructed justice.
Comey declined to say whether he believed the conversation amounted to obstruction of justice and wouldn’t disclose if he feels Trump colluded with Russia.
Calm and confident, Comey revealed for the first time that the FBI was scrutinizing Trump’s actions, which were within “the scope” of the bureau’s investigation. But the fired FBI director emphasized that Trump was not specifically under investigation.
Comey also said he was certain that Russia meddled in the presidential election.
Sen. Werner: “This is not a witch hunt. This is not fake news. It is an effort to protect our country form a new threat.” #ComeyDay
— ticklethewire (@ticklethewire) June 8, 2017
“They did it with purpose and sophistication,” Comey said, adding that the interference came “from the top of the government.”
Russia’s meddling, he said, continues to be a clear threat to American democracy.
“Nobody tells us what to think, what to fight, what to vote for, but other Americans,” Comey said. Russia “tried to shape the way6 we think, we vote and we act. This is a big deal. They are coming after America. They want to undermine our credibility.”
