12 Things To Watch For In James Comey's Senate Testimony

WASHINGTON, DC — When President Trump fired former FBI Director James Comey, he was thinking about the bureau's investigation into Russia's intervention in the American presidential election and potential collusion with his campaign, according to Trump's own account. But if his intention was to draw attention away from the investigation, Comey's upcoming highly anticipated testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee will do the exact opposite.

Now a free agent, Comey will testify, and the White House has said it will not try to stop him. This doesn't, however, mean Comey can say anything he wants; some of what he knows is likely still classified, and newly appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller may have requested Comey to withhold certain information from the public. (For more information on this and other political stories, subscribe to the White House Patch for daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

So what will the members of the committee ask Comey about? Only they know for sure, but here are some of the most pressing claims that have come out in the reporting around Comey and the continuing investigations.

1. Did Trump try to pressure Comey to drop the investigation?

This is likely one of the key questions senators will want to ask Comey. Multiple news reports cited a memo Comey wrote documenting an encounter in which Trump asked him to drop the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. A report from ABC News Tuesday said that Comey is not going to accuse the president of obstructing justice; nevertheless, Comey's answer here could still shed light on the question of whether Trump did anything inappropriate or illegal.

2. Did Trump ask Comey for a loyalty pledge?

A New York Times story reported that Trump asked Comey to pledge personal loyalty to him, and Comey declined. The White House has denied this story.

3. Did Comey ever confirm to the president that he was not under investigation?

When Trump fired Comey, he took the unusual step of including the following line in the termination letter: "I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation." Many outlets have reported that sources close to Comey do not believe he made such a confirmation.

4. Did Trump respect appropriate boundaries between the White House and the FBI?

This question would encompass many of the others, asking Comey to characterize the pattern of the president's actions rather than confirm or deny specific details of them. Comey may decline to answer this kind of question entirely.

5. Did Comey request additional resources for the investigations before he was fired?

Reports conflict on whether or not Comey requested additional resources for the Russia investigation before he was fired. If he did make this request, the president's decision to fire him would look worse.

6. Why does Comey believe he was fired?

Initially, the White House said Comey was fired because of the way he handled Hillary Clinton's email investigation. Trump later contradicted this story in an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt, suggesting that he fired Comey because he thought the Russia investigation was a "hoax."

7. Is it a concern that Trump shared sensitive intelligence from another country with Russia?

Multiple news reports suggested that Trump shared with Russian officials sensitive foreign intelligence acquired by Israel; later statements by the president and his staff seemed to confirm the basic facts of the matter, but the White House denied that there was anything inappropriate about the intelligence sharing.

8. Why did Comey go public with the conclusions of his FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton's emails?

CNN reported that Comey used a piece of intelligence that he believed was fake to justify his decision to go public with the conclusion of the investigation into Clinton's emails, a decision that has received extensive scrutiny. Comey has said before that he become "mildly nauseous" when he thinks about the fact that his actions in the email investigation could have affected the election. Senators will almost certainly want to know more about these incidents.

9. Was there any evidence that the Russians directly attacked the U.S. electoral system?

The Intercept reported Monday on a leaked NSA document that indicates that Russian government spies attempted to hack into U.S. election software and election systems. Comey may not be aware of the basis for these assertions, given that he ran the FBI and not the NSA, but he will likely be asked about them.

10. What does Comey know about alleged attempts by Jared Kushner to set up a secret back channel to Russia?

Leaks suggest that Jared Kushner is a subject of the FBI probe because he reportedly tried to set up a back channel of communication with the Russians during the transition. The White House said it will not confirm or deny reports, but administration officials have said that there's nothing intrinsically wrong with back channel communications. Comey will almost certainly be asked about this issue, but if it concerns an ongoing investigation, he probably will not answer.

11. Is there any evidence Trump has financial ties to Russia?

Since Trump has not released his full tax returns publicly, as all other modern presidents have, the American people know very little about his finances. Many critics have suggested that he may have extensive ties to Russia, but the president's lawyers have denied that there are any significant links in the past decade.

12. Did the Obama administration ever engage in improper unmasking?

Republicans have asked intelligence officials repeatedly about the Obama administration's unmasking procedures, implying that it may have engaged in scandalous activity.

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