Jason Chaffetz Needs James Comey’s Phone Number
Oversight chairman wants former FBI director to testify
Chairman Jason Chaffetz is all set to schedule a hearing inviting former FBI Director James Comey to testify publicly before his committee — if the Utah Republican can just find his phone number.
Chaffetz, who holds the gavel on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, tweeted Wednesday that he has sent a notice for a meeting on May 24 dubbed “Oversight of the FBI’s Independence.”
But Chaffetz added he still needed to connect with the former FBI director, who appears to have a new phone number.
Ranking Member Elijah Cummings said he expected Comey to make just one appearance on Capitol Hill despite an invitation to appear before a Senate panel as well. Cummings also said Comey had indicated in the past that if he were to testify before Congress, he would do so based on his own terms.
“A lot of people don’t do that,” the Maryland Democrat said. “And he’s going to dictate his terms. If it were me, I’d say one appearance, period. One and done.”
Chaffetz has indicated he will not run for re-election, thus freeing him up from political setbacks while investigating a presidential administration belonging to his own party.
A New York Times story on Tuesday reported President Donald Trump asked Comey to stop an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, shortly after he resigned from the administration in part for misleading Vice President Mike Pence over conversations he was having with Russian officials.
Comey kept memos of conversations he had with the president, the Times reported.
Shortly after the story broke, Chaffetz tweeted that he would seek the memos “sooner rather than later” and that if the White House stalled on delivering he would “have my subpoena pen ready.”
Leaders on the House and Senate Intelligence panels and the Oversight Committee are seeking any and all copies of memos Comey may have kept about his interactions with the president.Contact Rahman at remarahman@cqrollcall.com or follow her on Twitter at @remawriter