It’s finally here.
In what’s anticipated to be a historical moment in United States history, James Comey is testifying about his alleged meetings with President Donald Trump in regard to an ongoing FBI investigation into the president’s campaign and former NSA Advisor Michael Flynn.
To see a live stream of the hearing, watch the video at the top of the post.
Comey, the former FBI director, is sitting front of the microphone Thursday and answering inquires from the Senate Intelligence Committee for the first time since he was fired by Trump on May 9.
The hearing begins at 10 a.m. EDT, and will be followed by an afternoon closed session.
The exact reason Trump dismissed Comey has been long speculated, and memos the latter kept after meeting one-on-one with Trump, as the New York Times reported May 16, may tell the story.
At first, Trump said that he made the decision to let Comey go based on the “clear recommendations” of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rob Rosenstein. But one day later, the White House said that Trump thought about firing Comey since he was elected in November 2016.
According to testimony that was released June 7, Comey wrote about a series of interactions that he had with Trump in which he was asked to limit the investigation of the president’s campaign and Flynn.
On January 27, Comey wrote that he was invited to the White House for a one-on-one dinner where Trump asked him if he intended on keeping his job. He also allegedly told Comey, who had served in the role since 2013, that he wanted “honest loyalty.”
In another memo Comey kept from his meetings with Trump, he said that Trump asked him to stop the investigation into Flynn.
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Comey wrote in his testimony of what Trump told him.” He is a good guy, I hope you can let this go.”
The monumental hearing is so unprecedented that some have planned watch parties, bars have opened early, and workplaces are canceling meetings to keep an eye on what Comey has to say about his interactions with the president.
Comey’s testimony is expected to be watched by millions of people across the nation, and it’s drawn comparisons to Anita Hill’s testimony regarding Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Hill claimed that Thomas, who was going through confirmation hearings, sexually harassed her when he worked as a supervisor at the Department of Education.
Every national broadcastiong network in America is planning on having live coverage of the hearing. To find out how to watch is live on those stations, click here.
