Manchin: I’m not going to rule on obstruction of justice

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Thursday declined to say whether he believes President Trump may have obstructed justice.

“I’m not a lawyer and I’m not going to rule on obstruction of justice,” he said on CNN’s “New Day.”

“James Comey should be able to answer that question for us.”

Manchin added that the Senate Intelligence Committee will eventually release a report on its findings.

{mosads}”Before I sign that, I want to make sure that the rule of law was adhered to, that no person is above the law, not even the president or anybody on the lower end of the scale,” he said.

“We all have to abide by this law and I’m going to make sure that’s adhered to before I sign off on anything.”

Trump repeatedly sought to influence the FBI’s investigation into Russian election meddling before firing Comey as the bureau’s director, according to testimony that Comey is set to deliver Thursday.

Comey’s opening statement details multiple interactions with the president, including a January dinner at the White House where Trump said he needed and expected the FBI director’s loyalty.

On Feb. 14, Trump cleared the Oval Office after a counterterrorism meeting to speak with Comey alone, according to the testimony. Trump then asked Comey to “let go” of any investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had been forced to resign the previous day for misleading Vice President Pence about his conversations with the Russian ambassador, Comey will say.