Former FBI Director James Comey revealed Thursday that he has received a subpoena from House Republicans to testify on Capitol Hill, but said he would refuse to do so unless it is a public hearing.
“Happy Thanksgiving. Got a subpoena from House Republicans. I’m still happy to sit in the light and answer all questions. But I will resist a ‘closed door’ thing because I’ve seen enough of their selective leaking and distortion,” Comey tweeted.
“Let’s have a hearing and invite everyone to see,” he added.
The Hill reported earlier this month that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) was planning to subpoena Comey to testify on Capitol Hill before Democrats take control of the committee in January.{mosads}
The GOP chairman last week provided notice to Rep. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), the top Democrat on the panel and presumed incoming chairman, that he also intended to subpoena former Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
Comey responded by saying he was open to speaking with lawmakers but wanted to do it during an open session.
Republicans are keen to question Comey over records he reportedly made of his private conversations with President Trump before he was fired in May 2017.
During congressional testimony last year, the former FBI director said he kept records of such meetings because he felt the president inappropriately asked him to make a loyalty pledge while he was leading the FBI’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The president has denied making such a request.
Comey has also held that he did not disclose classified information when he shared some of the records’ contents with a friend, Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman. Richman shared the information verbally with The New York Times, in what became a successful maneuver to prompt the appointment of a special counsel — Robert Mueller.
“It is unfortunate that the outgoing Majority is resorting to these tactics,” Nadler said in a statement Friday.
“Months ago, Director Comey and Attorney General Lynch both indicated their willingness to answer the Chairman’s questions voluntarily. My understanding is that the Republicans have had no contact with either the Director or the Attorney General since,” he added, stating that the subpoenas are “coming out of the blue.”