Comey invited to testify before Senate panel on Tuesday

Washington May 11 (IANS) Fired FBI Director James Comey was invited to testify in a closed session next Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee a media report said on Wednesday.

The session would provide a first chance for Comey to weigh in on the circumstances of his firing and update senators behind closed doors on the status of the FBI s investigation into allegations of coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia Politico reported.

The invitation was from Chairman Richard Burr and top Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia.

In a move laden with ironies US President Donald Trump suddenly dismissed James Comey the controversial head of the FBI who had earned the wrath of the Democratic Party for his interference in last year s elections but was in the middle of an investigation into whether Trump s campaign had links to Russia.

Democrats who had blamed Comey for Trump s victory and their candidate Hillary Clinton s defeat reacted swiftly to Tuesday s firing of the powerful domestic intelligence chief by calling for an independent investigator to take over the probe into Trump s campaign.

Trump wrote in the dismissal letter to Comey that he was firing him on the advice of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein because of his handling of the bungled Clinton investigation.

The dismissal was a continuation of the election mess affecting both parties in which Comey was embroiled.

--IANS
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