GOP House publishes transcript of the interrogation of Comey on an explosive closed door

Flynn was fired in February 2017 for misleading Vice President Mike Pence on the same subject, but was not charged with any fault related to the content of his communications with Kislyak. A Washington Post article published the day before his interview with agents, quoting FBI sources, publicly revealed that he had listened to Flynn's appeals and had cleared him of any criminal conduct.

"The agents went to interview Flynn to try to understand why the national security adviser made false statements to the US vice president about his relations with the Russians during the transition," said Comey. , responding to a question from the Chair of the House Oversight Committee, Trey Gowdy, RS. C.

Comey added: "I knew some classified facts about the nature of [Flynn’s] interactions with Russians" before sending agents to the White House.

The former director of the FBI confirmed that he was one of the agents sent was a "counter-espionage career agent", and the other was Peter Strzok – who has since been sacked from the team of special advocate Robert Mueller and the FBI for his appearance anti-Trump bias. Comey denied specifically sending Strzok, or hand-picked the agents who had questioned Flynn.

WITNESS DEVOTED FLYNN'S RESPONSES ON THE EQUIVOCAL RESPONSES OF FBI AGENTS SENT BY COMEY

"I knew that the Vice President made statements that he attributed to conversations that he had had with Mr. Flynn and that were in blatant contradiction with these classified facts, he said.

Gowdy then said: "You knew exactly what General Flynn had said to the Ambassador from Russia before being talked to him. "Comey replied:" Yes. "

Comey quickly added:" I'm just hesitating because I do not know what I do not know not, but we clearly understood the nature and extent of a variety of communications, telephone, between Mr. Flynn and the Russian Ambassador … I'm just hesitating because, s & # 39; There were other communications, other phones, other means of communication, we only e would not know it. But we had a clear transcript of the conversations we had. . "

An FBI witness report released on Monday reporting the Flynn interview in January 2017 – finalized in February 2017 – indicated that Flynn apparently knew his calls were being tapped. written that Flynn had thanked them for reminding him of some of his discussions with Kislyak about the United Nations.

"Yes, good reminder," said Flynn at one point, according to the witness's report.

Comey admits his decision to send FBI agents directly to FLYNN BROKE protocol and declares that the FBI has departed from the situation

He told the public that the FBI had broken its usual protocol by questioning Flynn without any participation.Comey, the White House lawyer, acknowledged that "in a more established environment, one could have expected the FBI to coordinate the interview by through the lawyer of House-B lanche. "

He continued:" I had never worked in transition before, but I understood that, in a more established administrative environment, it was not enough to call the witness and tell him : "Can we come and talk to you?"

Comey also rebuffed the Republicans' questions as to why the FBI did not warn Flynn that he could be sued for lying to them. The investigators had sent these warnings to several other targets of the investigation conducted in Russia. Last year, in a court case, Mueller's team took pains to note that FBI agents who had interviewed former Trump aide George Papadopoulos on January 27, 2017 – a few just days after the Flynn interview – had informed Papadopoulos that "to lie to them" was a federal act. the "offense" and that he could have "trouble" he was not telling the truth.

"He was an extraordinarily experienced person and one should therefore reasonably assume that He understands that you can not lie to the FBI, "said Comey House Republicans.

" Second, this is not a protocol. The FBI does not do this in guardless interviews, "he added," and thirdly, you want to know what the witness will tell you before warming up an interview about the possibility of the witness lying to you. "

Comey stated that he did not remember if Flynn had asked him. Andrew McCabe, deputy director of the FBI, had then let him know that you would be welcome if someone from the office White House Council was present, and I think it said, in essence, that it would not be necessary "

According to a memorandum that he had written to the At the time, McCabe had informed Flynn that, when he chose to seek counsel, the Department of Justice should intervene.

Separately, Representative Jim Jordan, R-OH., Asked Comey how he had informed Trump of the FBI's knowledge of the infamous and unverified research record prepared by a firm funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC).

"I was much afraid to interpret this as an effort to pull a J. Edg ar Hoover on him," said Comey, adding that he had explained "that this had not been verified, that we We were not investigating, and that once the conversation, in my opinion, began to derail, telling him that we were not in the process of doing anything. personally investigate him. "

The former director of the FBI exceeded the Republicans on Monday after his release from the hearing. This was his second appearance this month in Capitol Hill, where he was called to answer questions about e-mail inquiries to Russia and Hillary Clinton.

"One day, they will have to explain to their grandchildren what they did today," said provocative Comey, referring to Republicans serving on both House committees who conducted the interview, accusing him of not defending the FBI from President Trump's attacks.

Former FBI Director, James Comey, and his lawyer, David Kelley, right, s & # 39, addressed to reporters after a day of testimony before the Judiciary and Oversight Committees of the House, Capitol Hill, Washington, on Friday, December 7, 2018.. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)
(Associated Press)

The Republicans, for their part, accused Comey of not being available. He was recalled to Capitol Hill after an appearance in early December during which he repeatedly claimed not to know or remember answers to many questions. Jim Jordan, representative of Ohio, told reporters that he was not satisfied with Comey's responses on Monday.

A POCKET HAS BEEN CONFUSED, THE FBI CONFIDED TO FACE CLAIMS, KEY REPORTS,

Comey, however, described the debate of legislators in judicial committees as political and overseeing the House and defending his own leadership, under which agents were investigating Clinton and beginning to probe the relationship between the Trump campaign and Russia.

We had to make very tough decisions in 2016, "said Comey. "I knew we were going to be hurt. The question was how to reduce the damage. "

Catherine Herridge of Fox News, if he was responsible for the reputation of the FBI, he replied" no "

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Comey called it" frustrating to be here. "

"The questions regarding Hillary Clinton and Steele seem to me to be more similar," said Comey. "I did not learn anything new there. Maybe they did it.

As an attacker to the Republicans, Comey also asked them to resist the "fear of Fox News, their base, fear the wicked tweets" and "defend the values ​​of this country." "

Earlier, North Carolina Representative Mark Meadows told reporters that Republicans plan to focus their interview with Comey on a new FBI document released on Friday in response to a Freedom Act. of information and published by Politico.

ANTI THE PHONE OF THE FBI-TRUMP AGENT WAS COMPLETELY REALIZED AFTER BEING FIRE OF THE MUELLER PROBE

He told reporters that he wanted to clarify when he had learned the participation of the Democratic National Committee, the Perkins Coie Law Firm and the opposition. the Fusion GPS research group in the production of the file.

"I want to give him a chance to clarify all this," Meadows said.

This highly redacted document details information relating to the investigation of the office of Russia led by the office t Hat Comey, then director of the FBI, informed Trump shortly after the election of the Republican to the presidency . The paper, once again, suggests that the FBI was vague as to the origin of the case's origins as being funded by anti-Trump Democrats.

But Meadows also says that he thinks that this could be at odds with Pasty's earlier statements about what he knew of the situation.

"I can not imagine how the FBI director was unaware of the link between GPS Fusion, Perkins Coie and the DNC, with respect to the infamous record," Meadows told reporters.

During an interview with Bret Baier by Fox News in April, Comey stated that he had learned of the existence of the file in the fall of 2016, but that it was not the case. he still did not know … that the campaign of the DNC and Hilary Clinton had been ignored. had financed the work. The file was funded by the DNC and Clinton campaign. The FBI document vaguely mentions it as being paid by "private customers".

"An FBI source … provided highly politically sensitive information … about Russian influence efforts aimed at the US presidential election," says the memo.

Referring to Steele, author of the record, the memo states that "the source is a leader of a private business intelligence firm and a former employee of a friendly intelligence service who was compensated for his previous reports over the last three years. "" The source has collected this information on behalf of private clients and has not been compensated by the FBI. "

Trump's been high against the FBI to be based partly on a dossier funded by his political opponents while he was investigating the matter. "relations between Russia and members of the Trump campaign

Earlier this year, Comey had declared during his reading tour that he had not informed the president of the origins of the hard file

Comey returned for more testimonials to Capitol Hill after the previous session of December 7. The legislators republica lame ins were furious while Comey repeatedly said "I do not remember". I do not know "and" I do not remember "when talking about investigations on which Republicans thought they were intended to harm Trump.

The interrogation covered the investigation of the FBI on Clinton's mail server and how a counter-intelligence investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election has turned into a comprehensive investigation of Trump's restricted circle, including obtaining FISA warrants used to spy on US citizens.

A transcript of the marathon interview published on December 8, showing the FBI boss sacked. "Lack of responsiveness and tension between him and the legislators of the GOP.

Catherine Herridge and Caroline McKee of Fox News contributed to the writing of this report.