Trump-Russia probe: Comey testimony raises suspicions

James Comey testifies on Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential election [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]

Former FBI Director James Comey has accused President Donald Trump of firing him to undermine his investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election and its ties to the Trump campaign.

"It's my judgment that I was fired because of the Russia investigation," Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday.

Testifying under oath in a hearing watched worldwide, the former FBI boss said he believed he was dismissed "to change, or the endeavor was to change, the way the Russia investigation was being conducted."

Trump-Russia probe: Comey testimony raises suspicions

Comey also accused the Trump administration of spreading "lies, plain and simple" about him and the FBI in the aftermath of his abrupt sacking, by claiming the bureau was in disorder under his leadership.

"Those were lies, plain and simple," he said.

But in more than two hours of testimony, Comey would not say whether he thought the president sought to obstruct justice.

Marc Kasowitz, Trump's personal attorney, said Comey's testimony "finally confirmed publicly" that president was not under investigation.

He also denied Trump had asked Comey for loyalty or to drop a FBI probe into former national security advisor Michael Flynn's links with Russia.
'Stunned'

In his testimony, Comey said he was "confused and increasingly concerned" by Trump's shifting explanations for his dismissal, saying Trump had repeatedly told him he was doing a "great job".

Comey said it was not for him to decide whether the president's actions amounted to obstruction of justice, a serious crime that could lead to impeachment. However, he called the president's pressures "a very disturbing thing, very concerning".

READ MORE: Why was James Comey so controversial?

It was a Democrat, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, who asked the question that many Republicans have raised in the weeks since Comey's firing, as one media leak followed another revealing Comey's claims about Trump's inappropriate interactions with him.

Alluding to the Oval Office meeting where Comey says Trump asked him to pull back the Flynn probe, Feinstein asked: "Why didn't you stop and say, 'Mr. President, this is wrong'?"

Comey responded: "That's a great question...Maybe if I were stronger I would have. I was so stunned by the conversation I just took it in."

He also described his concerns that Trump was trying to create a "patronage" relationship with him at a dinner during which Trump asked if he wanted to keep his job.

Trump-Russia probe: Comey testimony raises suspicions

In a startling disclosure, Comey also revealed that he gave one of his memos about Trump to a friend of his to leak to the press in the hopes that it might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.

"My judgment was I need to get that out into the public square," Comey said.

He told senators he had decided he must document every meeting he had with Trump, with a written record because he was "honestly concerned that he [Trump] might lie about the nature of our meeting".

"I knew there might come a day when I might need a record of what happened not only to defend myself but to protect the FBI."

Kasowitz, Trump's lawyer, seized on the admission, accusing Comey of "unauthorized disclosures" of "privileged communications" with the president.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a White House spokeswoman, also hit back, telling reporters: "I can definitely say the president’s not a liar".

READ MORE: Comey's sacking will not be the end of President Trump

In his testimony, Comey said he leaked memos of his conversations after a tweet by the president suggested he may have taped the conversations.

Comey said did not know if there were tapes of his conversations with Trump but said they should be made public if they existed.

"Lordy, I hope there are tapes," Comey said.


The hearing was watched all over the world [Justin Sullivan/AFP]

The former FBI director also stressed the intelligence community's conclusion that Russia did indeed meddle in the 2016 election.

"There should be no fuzz on this. The Russians interfered," Comey said firmly. "That happened. It's about as unfake as you can possibly get."

Russia has denied such interference and the White House as denied any collusion.

Trump stayed off social media while the drama played out in Congress, but his son Donald Trump Jr. fired off a series of tweets attacking Comey.

Comey says Lynch tarmac meeting, directive to downplay probe prompted him to go rogue on Clinton case

Former FBI Director James Comey revealed in Senate testimony Thursday that then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch directed him to describe the Hillary Clinton email probe as a "matter" and not an "investigation."

He also said that the directive, combined with Lynch's unusual Arizona tarmac meeting with former President Bill Clinton, led him to make his independent announcement regarding the Clinton email probe last July.

In his closely watched Senate Intelligence Committee testimony otherwise devoted to discussing the circumstances of his firing, Comey said that tarmac meeting was a "deciding factor" in his decision to act alone to update the public on the Clinton probe -- and protect the bureau's reputation.

"There were other things, significant items," he added, citing how "the Attorney General directed me not to call it an investigation and call it a matter—which confused me."

“That was one of the bricks in the load that I needed to step away from the department,” Comey said, later adding he was concerned Lynch was trying to align the DOJ’s comments with the way the campaign was talking about the probe. “That gave me a queasy feeling,” he said.

Lynch and former President Bill Clinton met on a tarmac in Phoenix, Ariz. on June 27, 2016, which immediately raised questions about whether she—or the Justice Department—could be impartial in the Hillary Clinton email investigation. Days later, Comey called Hillary Clinton’s actions “extremely careless” but declined to recommend charges.

Comey’s statements on Thursday could potentially damage Lynch’s reputation as an impartial, leading top law enforcement officer.

“Yes, that was the thing that capped it for me,” Comey said. “I needed to protect the investigation and the FBI.”

Comey added: “There were other things that contributed to that one thing ... but the committee has been briefed on classified facts.”

But Comey told lawmakers he wouldn’t have done things differently with regard to his decision on the Clinton email case.

“You have been criticized on your Clinton email decision. Did you learn anything that would have changed how you chose to inform the American people?” Chairman of Senate Intelligence Committee Richard Burr, R-N.C., asked the fired FBI director.

“Honestly, no,” Comey answered. “It caused a lot of personal pain for me – I think it was the best way to protect the justice institution—including the FBI.”

Trey Gowdy picked to lead House Oversight Committee

The Republican Steering Committee has elected Rep. Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., to serve as the next chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

“I am grateful to the Steering Committee and the Conference as a whole for this opportunity to serve,” Gowdy said in a statement. “I look forward to working alongside the other Committee members, as well as any member of Congress, as we discharge the jurisdiction assigned to us.”

CHAFFETZ TO RESIGN FROM CONGRESS IN JUNE

Gowdy will replace outgoing Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), who is resigning from Congress at the end of June.

"Trey Gowdy is the right person for the job," Chaffetz said in a statement. "He has a long history of demanding accountability, upholding transparency, and relentlessly pursuing the truth. Under his capable leadership, the Committee will continue to work towards ensuring effectiveness and efficiency throughout the federal government. As his friend and colleague, I have every confidence in his abilities moving forward."

TRUMP TO NOMINATE CHRISTOPHER WRAY TO BE FBI DIRECTOR

Gowdy is a former federal prosecutor who led a two-year inquiry into the deadly attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and was an outspoken critic of the Obama administration. As the new chairman, he will lead oversight of the Trump administration, including a nascent investigation of possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign.

Comey testimony: Trump team denies accusations, tries to turn tables on ex-FBI boss

President Trump's legal team shot back Thursday at James Comey's Senate testimony, defending the president in a brawny statement against the fired FBI director's more damaging claims and asserting Comey himself could now be in legal jeopardy for his admission he'd leaked details of "privileged" conversations.

Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, also said Comey's testimony backed up Trump on key points -- affirming that the president "never sought to impede" the Russia probe, and that while he was FBI director, Comey told Trump several times he wasn't the subject of an investigation.

The president's lawyer issued the rebuttal in a written statement that he read to reporters during a brief post-hearing appearance.

The statement sought to shield Trump and shift scrutiny onto Comey, who on Thursday delivered dramatic testimony that stopped short of accusing Trump of obstruction of justice but made numerous other allegations.

Kasowitz tried to rebut them one by one.

Despite Comey's claims to the contrary, he emphasized Trump “never, in form or substance, directed or suggested” that Comey drop an investigation into ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

Kasowitz also denied Trump asked Comey for a pledge of loyalty, contradicting Comey's story and setting up a "he said-he said" between the former FBI boss and the president.

Kasowitz also cast doubt on Comey’s explanation as to why he decided to leak a memo describing the Flynn conversation after Trump had fired him as FBI director.

“Although Mr. Comey testified he only leaked the memos in response to a tweet, the public record reveals that the New York Times was quoting from these memos the day before the referenced tweet, which belies Mr. Comey's excuse for this unauthorized disclosure of privileged information and appears to be entirely retaliatory,” the statement said.

The New York Times wrote its first story about private conversations between Comey and Trump on May 11, though the Times made no mention of a memo existing to allegedly substantiate the encounter. The following day Trump sent an infamous tweet implying he had recorded the discussion himself: "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

Comey suggested that tweet prompted him to leak his notes. Four days later the first story appeared in the press citing an alleged Comey memo.

Kasowitz, meanwhile, pointedly raised the question Thursday of whether Comey's leak amounts to a legal problem for him: “We will leave it to the appropriate authorities to determine whether this leak should be investigated along with all those others being investigated.”

Though Trump did not tweet or make a direct statement about Comey’s testimony, he did reference fighting back during a speech he gave to religious conservatives as Comey’s testimony was wrapping up.

“They will lie, they will obstruct, they will spread their hatred and their prejudice, but we will not back down from doing what is right,” Trump said. “We will fight and win, and we will have an unbelievable future. An unbelievable future. And it’s going to be together.”

Though Trump, a well-established prolific tweeter, has not sent a message from his account since Wednesday morning, he was certainly represented on the social media network. The Republican National Committee tweeted from its @GOP account, often hashtagging posts “#bigleaguetruth.”

“So according to Comey, @POTUS never asked to stop the investigation and Russia didn’t change a single vote. Good to know. #BigLeagueTruth,” one message read.

One of Trump’s children, Donald Trump Jr., was also tweeting a rapid-response defense of his dad.

Writing about Comey’s assertion that Trump intimated Comey should drop the Flynn investigation, Trump Jr. wrote: “Knowing my father for 39 years when he ‘orders or tells’ you to do something there is no ambiguity, you will know exactly what he means.”

Sen. John McCain’s bizarre questioning of Comey

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was the last senator to question former FBI director James B. Comey at Thursday's Senate Intelligence Committee hearing. Nearing the end of more than 2½ hours of questioning, McCain focused his line on two FBI inquiries: the 2016 investigation of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state and the 2017 investigation of Russian interference in the presidential election.

But several of his questions confused viewers, and seemingly Comey himself, and he occasionally was incoherent. He referred to “President Comey,” and at times looked confused and frustrated with Comey's answers. Viewers clearly thought it was notable; Twitter announced it was the most-tweeted moment of the hearing.

“In the case of Hillary Clinton, you made the statement that there wasn't sufficient evidence to bring a suit against her, although it had been very careless in their behavior, but you did reach a conclusion in that case that it was not necessary to further pursue her,” McCain's line of questioning began. “Yet at the same time, in the case of Mr. [Trump], you said that there was not enough information to make a conclusion. Tell me the difference between your conclusion as far as former secretary Clinton is concerned, and Mr. Trump.”


Comey answered that the Clinton email investigation was a completed, closed investigation at the time he announced in July that “no reasonable prosecutor” would bring a case against her, while the Russia investigation is still underway and could be for some time.

But McCain wasn't satisfied. He seemed to be arguing that Comey exonerated Clinton, in a sense, but left an investigation looming over President Trump, setting a double standard.

Comey again tried to explain that he discussed the findings of the Clinton investigation only after it was completed.

“That investigation was going on. This investigation was going on. You reached separate conclusions,” McCain said. Comey explained, for the third time, that the Clinton investigation was about an email server and was concluded in July.

That's when it got really weird.

“You're gonna have to help me out here,” McCain said. Comey replied that he was confused. In the video above, you can watch the entire exchange. But it boiled down to one point.

“I think it's hard to reconcile, in one case you reach a complete conclusion, and on the other side you have not,” McCain said. “I think that's a double standard there, to tell you the truth.”

Well, of course. The Clinton email investigation ended more than 11 months ago, while the Russia investigation continues. It was a bizarre argument from McCain, who appeared annoyed with Comey. Was he arguing that Comey should publicly exonerate Trump before the Russia investigation is finished? Was he arguing that Comey didn't investigate Clinton vigorously enough? Was he arguing that the FBI applied different standards to the two candidates?

It's hard to say, but McCain seemed to be trying to blunt the effect of Comey's testimony about Trump.

That's made all the more odd by the fact that, since Election Day (and even going back to the 2016 campaign), McCain has been one of the Senate Republicans most critical of Trump and his administration.

McCain later released a statement, joking that “maybe going forward I shouldn’t stay up late watching the Diamondbacks night games.”

The rest of the statement reads:

What I was trying to get at was whether Mr. Comey believes that any of his interactions with the President rise to the level of obstruction of justice. In the case of Secretary Clinton’s emails, Mr. Comey was willing to step beyond his role as an investigator and state his belief about what ‘no reasonable prosecutor’ would conclude about the evidence. I wanted Mr. Comey to apply the same approach to the key question surrounding his interactions with President Trump — whether or not the President’s conduct constitutes obstruction of justice. While I missed an opportunity in today’s hearing, I still believe this question is important, and I intend to submit it in writing to Mr. Comey for the record.

'Too easy' to track mobile phones because of security weakness, expert warns

Mobile phones users have "insufficient protections" from stalkers, experts from the University of Oxford have warned.

Research assistant Piers O'Hanlon told attendees of the BSides London security conference that there were a range of ways stalkers can track devices.

"The current security deployments make it too easy to perform these attacks," he explained.

He told Sky News: "There are problems I discovered in the way that mobile phones communicate over WiFi that means that the phones can potentially be tracked by unknown parties, and be tracked by their unique mobile identifier."

Currently, smartphones hand out their identities freely to any phone network base station that requests it.

Mr O'Hanlon said that without spending much, someone can "set up one of these fake access points, and then get your phone to connect to it".

Most of the attacks that he described to the conference did this using WiFi to "catch" the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), a 15-digit number which uniquely identifies phones and their subscriptions to the network.

These potential stalkers "might be criminal outfits, potentially, trying to track the movements of people of interest.

"It could potentially be used by terrorists," Mr O'Hanlon said.

There is a limit to how much most people want to know about mobile security, he said.

"Generally they need to run their updates, especially if they're running banking apps or if they have personal information on their phone

"But there's not really much else that an end-user can do."

The security issues he highlighted have to be tackled by mobile firms, he added.

"I contacted Apple, Google, Microsoft and BlackBerry, and it's kind of in that order that they actually responded and were proactive in trying to address it," Mr O'Hanlon said.

"Apple specifically developed a feature into iOS 10 to improve the situation.

"Google initially were not so worried but then when I told them that Apple were concerned they eventually said 'Okay, let's have another look'."

Sky News has contacted the companies mentioned for comment.

Qatar-based TV channel Al Jazeera 'hit by cyberattack'

Qatar-based TV channel Al Jazeera has claimed all its systems, websites and social media accounts have been hit by a cyberattack.

The company said it was experiencing "systematic and continual hacking attempts" which were "gaining intensity and taking various forms".

But a senior employee told the Reuters news agency the international broadcaster is "combatting" the onslaught and all its systems are still "operational".

The claim of a cyberattack comes as Al Jazeera is at the centre of Qatar's row with fellow Arab states over allegations the country supports terrorism.

Al Jazeera is owned by Qatar's government and funded by the Gulf state's ruling Al Thani family, prompting accusations it is used to promote the country's soft power around the world.

The broadcaster has often proved an irritant to its fellow states in the region, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - leading actors in the ongoing diplomatic spat - all blocking Al Jazeera's website in their countries last month.

The three countries, as well as Yemen and Bahrain, this week accused Doha of destabilising the region by backing extremist groups, including Islamic State.

The five states have broken off diplomatic ties with Qatar and halted all land, air and sea traffic to the country in a coordinated move.

Qatari citizens living in any of the five territories have been given two weeks to leave.