Story highlights
Several committees have sought former FBI Director James Comey's testimony
Comey was fired by President Donald Trump last month
Senate intelligence committee Chairman Richard Burr said Tuesday that former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony later this week will be his only public testimony on his firing and interactions with Trump.
“I know he accepted our invitation and he expressed that this would be the only public hearing he would hold,” Burr, a North Carolina Republican, told reporters.
Comey accepted the Senate intelligence panel’s invitation to testify Thursday and has declined other requests, but several others want him to appear.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has called for him to testify, too, and committee leaders Sens. Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein have not ruled out a subpoena to compel Comey’s testimony. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has also urged Comey to testify before the Senate panel.
House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz sought Comey’s testimony as well, even scheduling a hearing before he had made contact with the former FBI director. Chaffetz, who is leaving Congress at the end of the month, delayed his hearing last month after speaking with Comey.
Burr reiterated Tuesday that he does not expect to see Comey’s memos about his Trump meetings before Thursday, though he still would like to obtain them.
A Senate Democratic source said Democrats are convinced that Trump and the Justice Department is not processing the memos for congressional review because they’re now wrapped into the Mueller probe, which adds an additional layer of review. This source doesn’t think Trump’s team actively sitting on the memos, but sees no benefit in speeding up the review.
