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Ex-FBI Director James Comey drops a testimony bomb on Trump

Ex-FBI Director James Comey drops a testimony bomb on Trump

Posted June. 09, 2017 07:08,   

Updated June. 09, 2017 07:23

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Former FBI Director James Comey appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday (local time) and exposed that President Donald Trump pressured him to end the FBI’s investigation into ties between Trump’s campaign associates and Russia. His testimony is to officially raise the suspicion that Trump obstructed justice which was dealt only by the press and appears to serve as an opportunity to embark on a full discussion about the impeachment of the president in just five months after taking office. Some Washington insiders observe that it may have an impact on the Korea-U.S. Summit scheduled to be held at the end of this month as Trump’s control over national affairs has weakened.

The Senate Intelligence Committee has released the prepared remarks of Comey titled the "statement for the record" the day before the testimony and Comey argued that the president asked to derail the Russia probe in the statement. The following is the excerpt from the statement. Trump met Comey in the White House on Feb. 14 and he told Comey: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this (investigation) go, to letting Flynn (former national security advisor, resigned over contacts with Russia) go. Comey said he replied only that Flynn was a good guy. “I did not say I would ‘let this go’ (as Trump requested). Comey began to keep typing “memos” of his conversations with Trump and his aides who read them disclosed to the New York Times last months.

Before the meeting, Trump and Comey had dinner on Jan. 27 and said, “I need (your) loyalty, I expect loyalty.” There was an awkward silence after the president’s comment but Comey said, he didn’t move, speak, nor change facial expressions. Comey replied, “You will always get honesty from me.”



Seung-Heon Lee ddr@donga.com