James Comey, the former director of the FBI, reached a deal to testify privately to the House Judiciary Committee, according to his attorney, David Kelley. Comey also agreed to withdraw his subpoena challenge as part of this deal.
For context, this decision comes after Kelley asked a federal judge for the interview to occur in a public setting, to avoid House Republicans giving selective leaks from Comey’s otherwise private testimony.
The response from a lawyer for Congress was that Comey’s request wouldn’t fly, as committees can hold investigations as they see fit. They went as far as to argue that Comey had no place in asking for a public hearing, and certainly not to refuse a subpoena.
Comey tweeted about the final decision, saying:
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte also tweeted about the decision:
His attorney did confirm that Comey will be free to speak about the questioning once it’ s completed. A transcript will be released within 24 hours after he testifies.
What are they likely to cover? Questions will likely center on decisions made in the FBI in 2016. To review, this was when Comey chose not to recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton over her private email server. It will also probably cover the FBI’s investigation into Donald Trump’s campaign’s potential coordination with Russia.
The interview is scheduled for Friday, while the judge is expected to rule on Monday.