Senate Intel Committee Invites Comey to Appear Next Tuesday

The news of the invitation to Comey comes two days after his abrupt sacking by US President Donald Trump. (Photo: Reuters)

Washington: Fired FBI Director James Comey has been invited by a powerful Congressional committee to testify before lawmakers at a closed session on Tuesday.

Comey is likely to face questions from the committee about the Russia probe and the timing of his removal. Comey was earlier scheduled to testify before the committee on Thursday for a hearing on worldwide threats along with other top intelligence officials.

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has invited Comey to testify before it, according to media reports. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe would now take his place.

The news of the invitation to Comey comes two days after his abrupt sacking by US President Donald Trump. His sacking triggered a political firestorm with an angry opposition calling for an appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the alleged Russian influence in last year’s general elections.

The president’s move came days after Comey testified in Capitol Hill about the FBI’s investigation into Russia’s meddling into the US elections and a possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

In recent days, Comey again came under fire for his handling of the investigation into Clinton’s private email server. Many Democrats believe that his announcement that he was re-opening the probe 11 days before the November 8 election cost Clinton the presidency.

Comey had courted controversy during the 2016 presidential polls when he revealed a renewed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email use, which the Democrats claimed had hurt her chances of becoming the president.