Testimony is two hours and 40 minutes. [inaudible discussion] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] like to call this hearing to order. Director comey, i appreciate your willingness to appear before the committee today and more important live i thank you for your dedicatedandleadership to the federal bureau of investigation. Your appearance today speaks to the trust we have built over the years and im looking forward to a very open and candid discussion today. Id like to remind my cool leagues well reconvene in closed session at 1 00 p. M. Today, and i ask that you reserve for that venue any questions that might get into classified information. The directors been very vicious gracious with his time but we worked out a specific timelinene for his commitment to be on the soil well do everything we took meet that agreement. The Senate Select it in committedee on intelligence exists to certify for the other 85 members of the United States senate and the American People that the Intelligence Community is operating lawfully, and has the necessary authorities and tools to accomplish its mission, and keep america safe. Part of our mission beyond the overslight we continue to provide to the Intelligence Community and its activities is to investigate russian intervenes in the 2016 u. S. Elections. The committees work continues. This hearing represents part of that effort. Allegations have been swirling in the press for the last several week and today is your opportunity to set the record straight. Yesterday i read with interestst your statement for the record, and i think it provides some helpful details surrounding youi interactions with the president. It clearly lays out your understanding of those discussions. Actions you took following each conversation, and your state of mind. I very much appreciate your candor and think its helpful as we work through to determine the ultimate truth behind possible russian interference in the 201r elections. Your statement alsoprovides texture and context to your interactions with the president , from your vantage point, and outlines a strained relationship. The American People need to hear your side of the story just as they need to hear the president s descriptions of events. These interactions highlight the importance of the committees Ongoing Investigation. Our experienced staff is interviewing all relevant parties and some of the most sensitive intelligence in our countrys possession. We will establish the facts, separate from rampant speculation, and lay them out for the American People to make their own judgment. Only then will we as a nation be able to move forward and to put this episode to rest. There are several outstanding issues addressed in not addressed in your statement. Ope did president s request for loyalty your impression at the oneonone dinner of january 27th what, and i quote, at least in part, an effort to create some sort of patronage relationship or isst march 30th phone call asking what you could do to lift the cloud of Russian Investigationch into any way, alter your approach or the fbis investigation into general flynn or the broader investigation into russia and possible links to the campaign. In your opinion, did the potential russian efforts to establish links with individuals in the trump orbit rise to the level we could define asas collusion or was its counterintelligence concern . Theres been significant pock speculation about your decision. Making related to the clinton email investigation. Why did you decide publicly to to publicly announce fbis recommendations that the department of justice not pursue criminal charges . You have describe it as choice between a bad decision and a worse decision. The American People need to understand the facts behind your action. This committee is uniquely suited to investigate russias interference the 2016 elections. We also have a unified bipartisan approach to what is a highly charged partisan issue. Russian activities during 2016 election may have been aim att one partys candidate but as my colleagues, senator rubio, says breakly in 2018, and 2020, it could be aimed at any one, at home or abroad. My colleagues senator warner and i havent have worked to stay in lockstep. We have had our differences on approach, at times, but ive constantly stressed that we need be a team, and i think senator warner agrees with me. We must keep these questions above politics and partisanship. Its too parent to be tainted by anyone trying to score political opinions. With that, i welcome you, director texas turn to the vicechairman for any comments he might have. Thank you, mr. Chairman. And let me start by actually thanking all the members of the committee for their seriousness in which theyve taken on thisic task. Mr. Comey, thank you for agreeing to come testify as part of this committees investigation into russia. I realize that this hearing has been obviously the focus of a lot of washington, n the last few days. The truth is, Many Americans who may be tuning in today probably havent focused on every twist and turn of the investigation. So id like to briefly describe, at least from this senators standpoint, what we already know and what were still investigating. To be clear, this whole investigation is not about relitigating the election. Its not about who won or lost. Sure as heck is not about democrats versus republicans. Were here because a foreign adversary attacked us right here at home, plain and simple. Not by gun or missiles but by foreign operatives seeking to hijack our most important democratic process, our president ial election. Russian spies engaged in amo series of online fiber raids, and a Broad Campaign of disinformation, all ultimately aimed at sewing chaos to undermine public faith in our process, our leadership and ultimately in ourselves. Heat not just this senators opinion. Ch it is the unanimous determination of the entire u. S. Intelligence community. We must find out the full story, what the russians did, and some other colleagues masked why they are so successful. And more importantly we must determine the necessary steps t, take to protect our democracy and ensure they cant do it again. Rotect mentioning the elections in 2018 and 2020. In my own state of virginia we have elects this year 2017. We cannot let anything or anyone prevent us from getting to the bottom of this. Let me say at the outset, we have not always agreed on every issue. In fact i have occasionally questioned some of your actions but never had any reason to question your integrate, your expertise, or your intelligence. You have been a straight shooter with the committee and have been willing to speak truth to power, even at the risk of your own career. Ng which makes the way in which you are fired by the president it ultimately shocking. We began the process with thebe president and his staff first denying the russians were ever involved and then falsely claim nothing one on hi team was ever in touch with the russians. Thats not to the truth. Numerous Trump Associates had undisclosed contacts with russians before and after the election, including the president s attorney general, his former National Security a adviser, and his current senior adviser, mr. Kushner. That doesnt even begin to cound the host of Additional Campaign associates and advisers who have always been caught up in this massive web. We saw mr. Trumps campaign manager, mr. Manafort, supposed to stem down over ties to russian back entities. The National Security adviser, general flynn, had to resign over lies about engagements with the russians. And we saw the candidate himself express an odd and unexplained affection for the russian dictator, while calling for the hacking of his own opponent. Theres a lot to investigate. Enough of the facts, then director comey publicly acknowledged he was leading an investigation into those links between mr. Trumps campaign and the russian government. At the director of the fbi, mr. Comey was ultimately responsible for conducting thatm investigation, which might explain why youre sitting now as a private citizen. What we didnt know was at the same time this investigation wai proceeding, the president himself appears to have been engaged in an effort to influence or at least coopt the director of the fbi. The testimony that mr. Comey has submitted for todays hearing is very disturbing. For example, january 27 until, the president appears to have threatened directors job while telling him, quote, need loyalty. Expect loyalty. And at a later meeting, on february 14th, the president asked the attorney general to leave the oval office so that he could privately ask director comey again, quote to see a way clear to letting flynn go. In and the statement that director comey interpret as a request that he drop the a investigation connected to general flynns false statements. Think about it. The president of the United States, asking the fbi directora to drop an Ongoing Investigation. And after that, the president called the fbi director on two additional occasions, march 30th and april 11th and asked him again, quote, to lift the cloud on the Russian Investigation. Now, director comb comey denied each improper request. The loyalty pledge, the admonition to drop the flynn investigation, the request to lift the cloud on the Russian Investigation. Of course, after his refusals, director comey was fired. Ion. The initial explanation for the firing didnt pass any smell test. He was fired because he didnt treat Hillary Clinton appropriately. Of course, that explanation lasted a day because the president himself then made very clear that he was thinking about russia when he decided to fire director comey. About shockingly, reports suggest that the president admitted as much in an Oval Office Meeting with the russians the day afterval director comey was fired. Disparaging our countrys top Law Enforcement official as a quote, unquote, nut job, the president allegedly suggested that his firing relieved great pressure on his feelings about russia. This is not happening in isolation. At the same time the president was engaged in efforts with director comey he was also at least allegedly, asking Senior Leaders of the Intelligence Community to downplay the Russian Investigation or to intervene with the director. Yesterday, we had dni director coats, naa director admiral rogers who were offered a number of opportunities to floatly flatly deny the press reports. They did not take advantage of that opportunity. My belief thats not how the president of the United Statesf should behave. Regardless of the outcome of our investigation, into the russia links, director comeys firing, and his testimony, raise separate and troubling questions that we must get to the bottom of. Again, as i said at the outset, ive seen first hand how seriously every member of this a committee is taking his work. Im proud of the committees efforts so far. Let me be clear. This is not a witchhunt. This is not fake news. It is an effort to protect our country from renewed threat that quite honestly will not go away anytime soon. So, mr. Comey, your testimony here today will help us muff towards that goal. Thank you mr. Vicechairman. Director, as discussed when you agreed appear before the committee, it would be under owing. Ask you to please stand. Raise your right hand. Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you god . Die. Please be seated. Director comey youre now under oath. And i would just note to the members, you will be recognized by seniority for a period up ton seven minutes, and again, it is the intent to move to a closed session no later than 1 00 p. M. With that director comey, you have the floor. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Ranking member warner, membershe of the commit committee, thank you for inviting me theirtive tonight. Eye submitted the statement for the record and not going to repeat it this morning. Thought i would offer some brief introductory remarks and thenmo welcome your question. When i was appoint fbi direct glory 2013, i understood that it served at the pleasure of the president. Even though i was appointed to a tenyear term which congress crated in order to underscore the importance of the fib being outside of politics and independent, i understood that could i be fired by a president for any reason or for no reason aft all. And on may 9th, when i learned id been fired, for that reason i immediately came home as a private citizen. But then the explanations, the shifting explanations, confused me and increasingly concerned me. They confused me because the president that i had had multiple conversations about my job, both before and after he took office, and he had repeatedly told me i was doing a great job and hoped i would say. Repeatedly assured him i did intent to stay and serve out the remaining six years of my term hitch told me repeatedly he talked to lots of people about me, including our current attorney general, and learned i was doing a great job and that i was extremely wellliked by theh fbi work force. So it confused me when i saw on television the president saying that he actually fired me because of the russia investigation and learned againi from the media that he was telling privately other parties that my firing had relieved great pressure on the russia investigation. I was also confused by the initial explanation offered publicly, that i was fired because of the decisions i made during the election year. That didnt make sense to me who are a whole bunch of reasons, including the time and all the water under the bridge since those hard decisions had to be made. That didnt make any sense to me. And although the law required no reason at all to fire an anybody director, the administration then chose to defame me and, pour more personally the fbi but saying the organization was in disarray, poorly led, that the work force had lost confidence in its leader. Those were lies, plain and simple. And i am so sorry that the fbi work force had to hear them and im so sorry that the American People were told them. I worked every day at the fbi to help make that Great Organization better. And i say help because i did nothing alone at the fib. There nor in the great strengths is that the values and ables run deep and wide. The fbi will be fine without me the fbis mission wilt be relentlessly pursued i by itsi people and that mission is to protect the American People and uphold the constitution of the United States. I will deeply miss being part of that mission but the mission would go on long beyond me or any particular administration. I have a message before i close for my former colleagues at the fbi. First i want the American People to know this truth. The fbi is honest, the fbi is strong, and the fbi is and f always will be independent. And now to my former colleagues, if if may, seem sorry i didnt get the chance say goodbye to you properly. It was the or of my thrive serve beside you to be part of the fbi family, and i will miss it foror the rest of my life. Thank you for standing watch. Thank you for doing so much good for this country. Do that good as long as ever you can. Senators, i look forward to your questions. Director, thank you for that testimony, both oral and theor written testimony that you privilegedded to the committee provided to the committee yesterday and made foe the American People. Chair would recognize himself first for 12 minutes. Vice chair for 12 minutes, based upon the agreement we have. Director, did the special counsels Office Review and or edit your written testimony . No. Do youve have any doubt that russia attempted to interfere in the 2016 elections . None. Do you have any doubt that the russian government was behind the intrusions and the dnc and the d triple c systems and the suggest leaks of that information . No no doubt. Do you have any doubt that the russian government was behind be cyber intrusion in the state voter files. No. Do you have any dot that officialed of the russian government were fully ware or these activities . No doubt. Are you confident that no votes cast in the 2016 president ial election were altered . Im confident. By the when i left as director id seen no indication of that whatsoever. Director comey, did the president at any time ask you to stop the fbi investigation into russian involvement in the 2016 u. S. Elects . Not to my understanding, no. Did any individual working for this administration, including the Justice Department, ask you to stop the Russian Investigation. No. Director, when the president requested that you, and i quote, let flynn go,. General flynn had an unreportedy contact with the russians, which is an offense, and if press accounts are right, there might have been discrepancies between facts and his fbi testimony. In your estimation, was general flynn at that time in serious legal jeopardy and in addition to that, do you sense that the president was trying to obstruct justice or just seek for a way for mike flynn to save face given he had been fired. General flynn at that point in time was in legal jeopardy there was an open fib criminal investigation of his statements in connection with the russian contacts and the contacts themselves. That was my assessment at the time. I dont think its for know say whether the conversation i hady with the president as an effort to destruct. It wasser son fusing and im sure the special counsel will try to discover what the intention was there and if that is an offense. Et is possible that as part of i the fbi investigation, the fbi could find evidence of criminality not tied to 2016 election is can possible collusion are or coordination with r