The media circus surrounding former FBI director James Comey and his Thursday testimony before a Senate Intelligence Committee is just ramping up.
As soundbites swirl and punditry pervades, everyone is asking: What next?
Well, one congressional member has proposed actually summoning President Donald Trump himself to appear before investigators about his interactions with the fired FBI director.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) feels getting the story directly from the source under oath is a logical step in the process of determining what Trump knew, what he conveyed to Comey, and their implications.
Murphy said in a statement:
“What’s most important is that investigators in the Senate and at the Department of Justice get all the facts and find the truth. If the White House’s account differs from what we heard today, the American people deserve to hear the president’s side of the story in a similar forum — under oath and open to the press.”
He continued:
“It’s hard to overstate the impact of Jim Comey’s testimony today. For the first time, under oath and penalty of perjury, the former FBI Director testified that the president repeatedly pressed him for a pledge of loyalty, and asked him to drop the investigation into illegal activity of a White House staffer at the center of the Russia probe. A couple months later, after neither request was fulfilled, Trump fired him That confirms that media reports aren’t ‘fake news’ – they’re very real and very concerning…Every day, it seems like the walls are closing in on this president. ”
On Thursday, Comey reported that Trump asked him in private conversations for a loyalty pledge, and that Trump also urged the FBI cease its investigation into former national security adviser Lt. General Michael Flynn (Ret.).
Trump publicly denies asking for Comey’s loyalty.
But in an NBC interview with Lester Holt, Trump acknowledged he considered the FBI’s Russia investigation in his decision to fire Comey last month. Subsequent news reports also reveal the president told visiting Russian officials the day after ousting “nut job” Comey that the director’s firing relieved him of “great pressure.”
Murphy’s request is unprecedented. But these days, what isn’t?
Check out Sen. Murphy talking about Trump, and how fast the walls are closing in on him (after the jump):
Featured Image Via YouTube Video.
