Comey testifies as Trump announces Christopher Wray as replacement

Washington DC will come to a standstill today when former FBI Director James Comey testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The public session will be Comey’s first public address since being fired by President Trump on May 9 and will be followed by a closed-door hearing to discuss classified information.

In the lead up to Thursday’s testimony, Donald Trump announced plans to nominate Christopher Wray, a former assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush, to fill the FBI director vacancy. Coming just a day before Comey’s appearance, the announcement appears to be designed to divert attention from the Senate hearing.

Although Mr Trump is not formally the focus of today’s probe—and is ostensibly protected from impeachment by a Republican-controlled Congress—Comey’s testimony could prove dicey for the president. The former FBI chief is known to have kept memos detailing his conversations with the president, which will be of particular interest to the committee. If it emerges that Trump did try to impede the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s ties to Moscow—as one February 27 memo reportedly suggests—Republicans will find it difficult to defend the president.