Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that the details of a private briefing about the decision to fire FBI Director James Comey should be made public.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is scheduled to brief the entire Senate privately on Thursday afternoon. Schumer requested the briefing after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey and the White House initially reported the decision was based on a critical memo written by Rosenstein.
“While the briefing will not take place in a public setting, I hope much of what we learn today can be shared with the American public,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor.
Rosenstein, Schumer said, “can brief us on a great many things, including the events of Mr. Comey’s dismissal, and the status of the Russia investigation.”
Schumer praised Rosenstein’s decision to appoint former FBI Director Robert Mueller as a special counsel over an independent investigation into the alleged connections between President Trump’s campaign team and Russian operatives. But he said the congressional probes should continue and should not be blocked from obtaining evidence or hearing from Comey, who has been invited to testify in both the House and Senate.
“Mr. Comey was central to the developments last week and we still need to hear from him,” Schumer said.
Mueller’s appointment, Schumer said, “in no way diminishes the need for Congress to play an active role in helping to get to the bottom of recent events.”
