Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner went straight to controversies and breaking news surrounding President Trump, and Thursday’s testimony from former FBI Director James Comey, in his opening statements at a Sentate Intelligence hearing on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Warner blazed right past the subject of the FISA court and went at the administration for firing Comey.
“Today, we will have an opportunity to ask Deputy Attorney General [Rod] Rosenstein about his role in the Comey firing as well,” Warner said.
“Additionally, we have seen reports that the president asked at least two of the leaders of our nation’s intelligence agencies to publicly downplay the Russia investigation. And now, according to new reports from last night, the president is alleged to have also personally asked Director [of National Intelligence Dan] Coats and CIA Director [Mike] Pompeo to intervene directly with then-Director Comey to pull back on that same investigation. I will be asking DNI Coats and [National Security Agency] Director [Mike] Rogers about those reports today.”
Rosenstein was deputy attorney general when he authored a memo to President Trump that outlined reasons Comey should be fired. Although the White House originally leaned on the memo as justification for firing Comey, President Trump later told news outlets he had been planning on firing Comey all along.
Reports surfaced last night that Trump pressured Coats to try and get Comey to back off the investigation into former national security adviser Mike Flynn. A spokesman for Coats denied those reports Wednesday.
“Director Coats does not discuss his private conversations with the president,” said Brian Hale, spokesman for Coats. “However, he has never felt pressured by the president or anyone else in the administration to influence any intelligence matters or ongoing investigations.”
