Lauren Stephenson
Trump Reportedly Told Russians Firing Comey Abated Pressure From Probe
President Trump may have left on his multi-country trip Friday, but that didn't stop new reports on the Russia investigation back home.
LEARN MOREPosted: 6:54 p.m. EDT Jun 5, 2017
It appears former FBI Director James Comey has cleared the biggest hurdle in his upcoming testimony before a Senate committee.
"In order to facilitate a swift and thorough examination of the facts sought by the Senate's intelligence committee, President Trump will not assert executive privilege regarding James Comey's scheduled testimony," White House principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Monday during the White House press briefing.
Comey, whom President Trump fired last month, is scheduled to testify in an open setting Thursday morning.
But Trump could have tried to put a stop to it by invoking executive privilege.
It allows the president to keep certain information, including conversations with executive branch employees, private. But trying to use it to silence Comey could have put Trump on shaky legal and political ground.
Comey's testimony could shed light on several bombshell reports published in the weeks following his firing.
Those reports, which cited sources close to the ousted FBI director, said Trump asked Comey to pledge his loyalty to the president and to stop the investigation into former national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. The White House has denied those claims.
But the reports have raised questions about the motivation for firing Comey and whether his role in investigating possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia had something to do with it.
