Maine Sen. Susan Collins said former FBI Director James Comey must clarify the context of his conversations with President Trump about the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election.
Collins, a Republican, said on CBS Sunday that she wants to know what talks Trump and Comey had about the investigation, including the conversations that led Trump to include in his letter firing Comey that the former FBI director told him on three occasions he’s not under federal investigation.
“Does Mr. Comey agree that is what was said? Why would he tell the president that? What was the tone, and the context, of this discussions on three different occasions if they are accurately portrayed in this letter?” Collins asked.
Collins is concerned Trump may have inappropriately interfered with the investigation.
“If … the president said to Mr. Comey, ‘I want you to end this investigation into Gen. Flynn, I want it ended now and if you don’t do so you’re going to be in trouble,’ that is a whole different question,” she said.
Collins said Comey’s testimony in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, of which she is a member, would be an attempt to cut through the Washington noise on the Russian issue.
Press reports on new developments in the investigation seem to break almost daily and it’s causing a lot of confusion about what exactly happened during last year’s election, Collins said. Hearing Comey’s testimony will cut through that noise.
“There is so much speculation and so many stories and so many leaks that it’s very difficult to determine the facts of the Russian involvement in our elections last fall,” she said, “the extent of that involvement and also whether there was collusion with members of President Trump’s campaign.”
She added, “This will get us a chance to get his perspective on the issue of Russian involvement and also the issue of collaboration or collusion.”
