Fired FBI Director Says Trump Asked Him To Nix An Investigation On The Sly

After all the back and forth, Comey’s written testimony is here. There have been reports, but this seals it in stone: the former FBI director is explictly alleging that Trump put pressure on him to shut down the investigation into national security adviser Michael Flynn. 

“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” the president is alleged to have told Comey. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

Comey says he understood this to be Trump telling him to drop the investigation, which he found “concerning”.

Here’s what Comey says happened at that particular moment:

In the testimony, Comey also claims that during a dinner back in January, Trump demanded loyalty from him – something of a no-no considering the FBI is fundamentally supposed to be an independent body. He says Trump told him – repeatedly – “I need loyalty.”

It seems the Trump camp’s angle on this whole shitstorm has changed slightly. Though Trump in the past has denied the exchange about Flynn happened at all, Trump’s lawyer says that they’re not contesting the basic facts of what Comey is saying. Commentator Chris Hayes laid it out pretty well in this Twitter thread:

James Comey is going to testify under oath that in a private meeting the president asked/pressured him to lay of Flynn investigatin 1/

— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 7, 2017

“totally vindicated” the president.Which we can take as stipulation that what’s said in it is true. In other words: Trump *did* ask Comey 3/

— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 7, 2017

So to simplify what’s happened today: @realDonaldTrump‘s own lawyer has called @realDonaldTrump a liar. 5/5

— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) June 7, 2017

Hoo boy. Trump’s promised to livetweet the Comey testimony as he delivers it to Congress, so we’ll see how this goes.