Comey invites House Republicans to hold public hearing after news of possible subpoena

Former FBI Director James Comey invited House Republicans to hold a public hearing following a report from The Hill on Friday that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) is planning to subpoena him to testify before Democrats take control of the committee.

“House Republicans can ask me anything they want but I want the American people to watch, so let’s have a public hearing. Truth is best served by transparency. Let me know when is convenient,” Comey tweeted Friday. 

House Republicans can ask me anything they want but I want the American people to watch, so let’s have a public hearing. Truth is best served by transparency. Let me know when is convenient.

— James Comey (@Comey) November 16, 2018

The GOP chairman on Friday provided notice to Rep. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), the top Democrat on the panel and presumed incoming chairman, that he intends to subpoena Comey and former Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Goodlatte plans to subpoena the pair to discuss their decisionmaking during the 2016 presidential election, a committee aide told The Hill on Friday. Republicans on the panel are seeking to have Comey appear for a deposition on Nov. 29 and for Lynch to testify Dec. 5.

{mosads}Republicans are keen to question Comey over records he reportedly made of his private conversations with President Trump. 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.

Under Judiciary Committee rules, the chairman must consult the ranking member at least two business days before issuing any subpoena — suggesting that the move could be imminent.

“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.”

House Republicans, particularly those in the right-wing Freedom Caucus, sought to compel Comey to testify behind closed doors earlier this year. Comey declined, saying he would testify in a public setting.