Comey testimony as it happened: Trump's lawyer hits back at fired FBI director and says he could be investigated
The Independent will be covering his testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee live
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Your support makes all the difference.Former FBI Director James Comey is due to give evidence to the Senate Intelligence Committee about conversations he had with President Donald Trump and whether the former businessman pressured him to drop an investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
The committee has already released his prepared opening statement in which he will confirm under oath that Mr Trump tried to get him to drop the probe into whether General Flynn, who was forced to resign two weeks after the inauguration, had met with Russian officials during the campaign to discuss economic sanctions imposed by Barack Obama.
He will also testify about a pair of phone calls with Mr Trump where he had reportedly complained to him about the FBI's investigation into his campaign team's links with Russia, calling it a "cloud" looming over the presidency and reportedly urged mr comey to state publicly that the President himself was not under investigation.
Follow our liveblog below the video:
Senator John McCain starts a confusing section on Ms Clinton's emails - wondering why Comey could close the Clinton emails investigation and not the Russia probe.
Even Mr Comey is confused...
Outside of the hearing, the Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Senator Richard Burr says that the committee are "nowhere near the end" of their investigation.
US President Donald Trump, in a speech across Washington DC from the hearing, has told supporters that their movement is "under siege" - but he has vowed to fight on
"We're under siege...but we will come out bigger and better and stronger than ever," he said. "We will not back down from doing what is right ...we know how to fight and we will never give up."
So, what are the big things we learned today?
- Mr Comey said he understood an expression by Donald Trump of “hope” that he could shelve an investigation of Michael Flynn as a direction, potentially an order, to do so.
- Mr Comey said he believes that Mr Trump fired him with “the endeavor... to change the way the Russia investigation was being conducted."
- Mr Comey did not report the scene widely within the FBI for fear of “a real chilling effect” on the Russia investigation.
- Mr Comey said Mr Trump had not asked him to shelve the Russia investigation, apart from the Flynn piece.
- Mr Comey declined to speculate on whether Mr Trump had committed an obstruction of justice, saying that was special counsel Robert Mueller’s job
Mr Trump has finished his address - seemingly without one reference to Mr Comey's testimony.
That is a show of restraint that few might have expected.
Mr Trump did not mention Comey, but he did call Congressional Democrats “obstructionists” who are stalling his agenda.
Mr Trump said the “level of hatred” between the political parties is “beyond anything that I've ever seen.”
As for the Democrat response to the Comey testimony, a number of those in Congress have been quick to say that Mr Trump may be in a spot of bother and needs to respond.
The fightback begins:
Donald Trump's lawyer has accused James Comey of "unauthorised disclosures" of "privileged communications" he had with the President.
The statement from Marc Kasowitz suggests that Comey could now be investigated for the leak of the memo - but he will leave it to the appropriate authorities to decide whether such action would go ahead. Mr Comey believes that information was unclassified and was able to be leaked.
Some other select quotes from the statement:
“The president never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr Comey stop investigating anyone,” the statement says.
It also says:
“The president also noever told Mr Comey, ‘I need loyalty. I expect loyalty’ in form or substance. ...
“Today, Mr Comey admitted that he unilaterally and surreptitiously made unauthorized disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the president.”
“In sum,” the statement concludes, “it is now established that there [sic] the president is not being investigated for colluding with the [sic] or attempting to obstruct that investigation.”
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