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Comey transcripts: insights on early suspects and 'hugging' Mueller claims Comey transcripts: early Russia suspects and claims he 'hugs' Mueller
(about 3 hours later)
The transcripts of the former FBI director James Comey’s testimony at Friday’s closed-door hearing have been released, bringing forth insights into the early stages of the FBI’s Russia inquiry and whether Comey was on “hugging and kissing” terms with special counsel Robert Mueller, as claimed by Donald Trump. The transcript of former FBI director James Comey’s testimony at a closed-door congressional hearing was released on Saturday, providing insight into the early stages of the Russia inquiry. Lawmakers also sought to find out if Comey was on “hugging and kissing” terms with special counsel Robert Mueller, as claimed by Donald Trump.
Comey said the FBI launched investigations into four Americans in July 2016 into whether they helped Russia’s alleged efforts to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election. He did not identify the people being investigated but that they “had some connection to Mr Trump”. He confirmed Trump was not among the four.
Republican Congressman John Ratcliffe asked Comey whether the FBI had “any evidence” of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia when agents briefed Trump as a candidate in 2016 about foreign intelligence threats.
Comey said the probes into the four Americans began in late July but that he was not sure when agents briefed Trump. “If it was after July 29th, then the answer would be, yes, we had some reason to suspect that there were Americans who might have assisted the Russians,” Comey said, according to the transcript.
John Kelly to leave as Trump White House chief of staff at end of yearJohn Kelly to leave as Trump White House chief of staff at end of year
The transcript of the nearly seven-hour hearing runs to 235 pages and was released as part of a deal reached after Comey attempted to quash a subpoena ordering him to testify in private, expressing concern such testimony would be selectively leaked. Comey said the FBI launched investigations into four Americans in July 2016, into whether they helped Russia’s interference in the presidential election. He did not identify the people but said they “had some connection to Mr Trump”. Trump was not one of the four, he said.
Afterwards, Comey described the hearing as a “desperate attempt to find anything that can be used to attack the institutions of justice investigating this president”. The Republican John Ratcliffe asked Comey if the FBI had “any evidence” of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia when agents briefed Trump in 2016 about foreign intelligence threats. Comey said the investigations of the four Americans began in late July that year but he was not sure when agents briefed the candidate.
There are expected to be two days of hearings with Comey, who was fired by Donald Trump in May 2017, due to appear again on 17 December. “If it was after 29 July, then the answer would be, yes, we had some reason to suspect that there were Americans who might have assisted the Russians,” Comey said.
As reporters pored over the transcript on Saturday, seemingly bizarre exchanges emerged. The transcript of the nearly seven-hour hearing ran to 235 pages and was released as part of a deal reached after Comey attempted to quash a subpoena ordering him to testify in private, expressing concern such testimony would be selectively leaked. Afterwards, Comey described the hearing as a “desperate attempt to find anything that can be used to attack the institutions of justice investigating this president”.
Sixty pages into Friday’s hearing, New York congressman and the likely judiciary chairman Jerrold Nadler raised a striking claim made by Trump about Comey’s relationship with Mueller, his predecessor as FBI director. There are expected to be two days of hearings. Comey, who was fired by Trump in May 2017, is due to appear again on 17 December.
As reporters pored over the transcript, bizarre exchanges emerged. Sixty pages in, Jerrold Nadler, the New Yorker who is the likely next chairman of the judiciary committee, raised a striking claim made by Trump about Comey’s relationship with Mueller, his predecessor as FBI director.
“On 5 September,” Nadler said, “President Trump brought up special counsel Mueller in an interview with the Daily Caller, stating: ‘And he’s Comey’s best friend, and I could give you a hundred pictures of him and Comey hugging and kissing each other. You know he’s Comey’s best friend.’”“On 5 September,” Nadler said, “President Trump brought up special counsel Mueller in an interview with the Daily Caller, stating: ‘And he’s Comey’s best friend, and I could give you a hundred pictures of him and Comey hugging and kissing each other. You know he’s Comey’s best friend.’”
Nadler asked: “Are you best friends with Robert Mueller?”Nadler asked: “Are you best friends with Robert Mueller?”
Comey replied that though he admired “the heck out of the man”, he did not know his phone number or the names of his children.Comey replied that though he admired “the heck out of the man”, he did not know his phone number or the names of his children.
“I think I had a meal once alone with him in a restaurant,” he said. “I like him … I’m an associate of his who admires him greatly. We’re not friends in any social sense.”“I think I had a meal once alone with him in a restaurant,” he said. “I like him … I’m an associate of his who admires him greatly. We’re not friends in any social sense.”
Nadler said he would not “ask whether you’ve ever hugged and kissed him”.Nadler said he would not “ask whether you’ve ever hugged and kissed him”.
“A relief to my wife,” Comey said.“A relief to my wife,” Comey said.
In the very first line of questioning, about text messages between two now former FBI staffers, which Republicans have said portray anti-Trump bias, the oversight chairman, Trey Gowdy, quoted a message about the margin an agent said Hillary Clinton “should win by” and asked: “In the course of human history, has anyone won an election 100 million to zero, to your knowledge?” In the very first line of questioning, about text messages between two now former FBI staffers, which Republicans have said portray anti-Trump bias, oversight chairman Trey Gowdy quoted a message about the margin an agent said Hillary Clinton “should win by”.
Gowdy asked: “In the course of human history, has anyone won an election 100 million to zero, to your knowledge?”
Comey replied: “I don’t mean to be facetious. I can’t speak to Stalin’s re-election or Mao Tse-tung re-election campaigns.”Comey replied: “I don’t mean to be facetious. I can’t speak to Stalin’s re-election or Mao Tse-tung re-election campaigns.”
Gowdy said: “100 million to zero is a lot.”Gowdy said: “100 million to zero is a lot.”
“Sure,” said Comey. “I’m not trying to be facetious, but I remember as a student the vote in Soviet Russia was 99.9% to …”“Sure,” said Comey. “I’m not trying to be facetious, but I remember as a student the vote in Soviet Russia was 99.9% to …”
Interrupting, Gowdy said: “We are going to get to Russia in a little bit. We’ll get to Russia in a little bit.”Interrupting, Gowdy said: “We are going to get to Russia in a little bit. We’ll get to Russia in a little bit.”
On Friday, filings by federal prosecutors and special counsel Robert Mueller revealed new findings in the cases of Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort, former aides to Trump. On Friday, filings by federal prosecutors and special counsel Robert Mueller revealed new findings in the cases of Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort, former aides to Trump. The filings detailed links between the two men and Russia and, in Cohen’s case, illegal payments to women claiming to have had affairs with the billionaire. Cohen had previously linked Trump to the payments but Friday was the first time prosecutors had done so.
The filings detailed links between the two men and Russia and, in Cohen’s case, payments to women claiming to have had affairs with the billionaire. Mueller took over the Department of Justice investigation of Russian election interference, links between Trump aides and Moscow and potential obstruction of justice by the US president after Comey was fired. Trump told NBC he fired Comey because of “this Russia thing”, then contradicted himself. Comey has testified publicly on Capitol Hill and detailed his interactions with Trump in a book, A Higher Loyalty, that was published in April.
Mueller took over the Department of Justice investigation of Russian election interference, links between Trump aides and Moscow and potential obstruction of justice by the US president after Comey was fired. Trump lashes out at Mueller after bombshell Cohen and Manafort filings
Trump told NBC he fired Comey because of “this Russia thing”, then contradicted himself. Comey has testified publicly on Capitol Hill and detailed his interactions with Trump in a book, A Higher Loyalty, that was published in April. In the hearing, Comey reiterated that it was a 2016 encounter between Trump adviser George Papadopoulos and a Russian intermediary in London that ignited the Russia investigation, rather than, as some Republicans maintain, Democratic-funded opposition research compiled by a former British spy.
Comey told reporters on Friday Republicans on the two committees had been “talking again about Hillary Clinton’s emails, for heaven’s sakes”. “It was weeks or months later that the so-called Steele dossier came to our attention,” Comey said.
He led the FBI investigation of Clinton’s use of personal email and a private server while secretary of state. The FBI recommended against criminal charges. The impact on the 2016 election of Comey’s public announcements remains hotly debated. After the hearing, Comey told reporters Republicans had spent much of the hearing “talking again about Hillary Clinton’s emails, for heaven’s sakes”. He led the FBI investigation of Clinton’s use of personal email and a private server while secretary of state. The FBI recommended against criminal charges, a recommendation Comey repeated to Gowdy. The impact on the 2016 election of Comey’s public announcements on the Clinton case remains hotly debated.
Trump responded to Friday’s hearing by tweeting: “It is being reported that Leakin’ James Comey was told by Department of Justice attorneys not to answer the most important questions. Total bias and corruption at the highest levels of previous Administration. Force him to answer the questions under oath!” Comey also used the hearing to criticise Trump for his attacks on the justice system.
“We have become numb to lying and attacks on the rule of law by the president,” he said, before criticising Trump’s contention, in light of the cases of Manafort, Cohen and other former aides, that it should be a crime for subjects to “flip” and co-operate with investigators.
“It’s a shocking suggestion coming from any senior official, no less the president,” Comey said. “It’s a critical and legitimate part of the entire justice system in the United States.”
Trump responded to Friday’s hearing by tweeting a complaint about questions Comey did not answer and supposed “total bias and corruption at the highest levels of the previous administration”.
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