House intelligence committee seeks documents about James Comey's firing
WASHINGTON — Leaders of the House Intelligence Committee said Thursday that they have asked the FBI and Department of Justice for documents relating to President Trump's abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey last week.
Reps. Michael Conaway, R-Texas, and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., asked for the information as part of the panel's ongoing investigation into Russia's interference in last year's presidential election. Comey was leading the FBI's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials when he was fired.
As part of their request, the two committee leaders asked for any memos written by Comey about conversations he had with Trump. Comey reportedly wrote a memo saying that Trump asked him to stop investigating former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Trump has denied that he made that request.
"Reps. Conaway and Schiff stressed the importance of continuing this investigation in a thorough and nonpartisan manner, and reaffirmed their commitment to work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation as their respective investigations progress," the committee said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced that he had appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel in charge of the FBI's investigation into Russian attempts to influence the 2016 election.
The House intelligence panel is just the latest in a string of congressional committees that have asked for more information about Comey's firing or invited Comey to testify.
Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr, R-N.C., said Thursday that Flynn was refusing to honor a subpoena to come testify before the panel. However, Burr later backed away from his initial statement, indicating that he may have spoken too soon.
"General Flynn’s attorneys have not yet indicated their intentions regarding the Senate Intelligence Committee’s subpoena," Burr said Thursday afternoon. "Consistent with the Committee’s position since the beginning of our investigation, I welcome their willingness to cooperate."
Rosenstein was scheduled to meet with senators Thursday afternoon in a closed-door session to discuss Comey's firing and other issues related to the Russia investigation.
Congress plans to continue its own investigations even though lawmakers welcomed Mueller's appointment.
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