Kenny Tran

James Comey, former FBI director, plans to testify publicly in the Senate to confirm the accusations that President Trump pressured him to end the investigation of Russia.

Details are still being worked out, but on June 8th Comey is expected to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee which is investigating possible connections between the Trump campaign and Russia during last year’s presidential election.

Comey has spoken privately with Special Counsel Robert Mueller III, a longtime colleague at the Justice Department, to work out the parameters for his testimony to ensure there are no legal entanglements as a result of his public account, a source said. Comey will likely sit down with Mueller for a formal interview only after his public testimony.

“When he testifies, Comey is unlikely to be willing to discuss in any detail the FBI’s investigation into the charges of possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign, the centerpiece of the probe,” a source said. “But he appears eager to discuss his tense interactions with Trump before his firing, which have now spurred allegations that the president may have tried to stop the investigation. If it happens, Comey’s public testimony promises to be a dramatic chapter in the months-long controversy, and it will likely bring suspicion to the investigation that Trump has repeatedly denounced as a “witch hunt.”

A week after he took office in January, Trump allegedly demanded Comey’s “loyalty” if he kept him on as FBI director and urged Comey to drop his ongoing investigation into Michael Flynn, Trump’s fired national security adviser, in a separate, one-on-one meeting. The source said that Comey is expected to stand by those accounts in his testimony.

“The bottom line is he’s going to testify,” the source close to the issue said. “He’s happy to testify, and he’s happy to cooperate.”

When the testimony begins, more news will be published on the Cougar Chronicle.