March 20 (UPI) — FBI Director James Comey is testifying before the House Intelligence Committee on Monday about Russian interference in the U.S. election and an allegation from President Donald Trump that the previous administration spied on him.
The hearing began at 10 a.m., EDT.
National Security Agency head Michael S. Rogers is also appear.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said Comey is expected to publicly debunk Trump’s allegation that former President Barack Obama wiretapped or performed surveillance on Trump Tower.
Schiff said he hopes “we can put an end to this wild goose chase because what the president said was just patently false.”
Republicans hope Comey will publicly state there is no evidence of collusion between Trump associates and the Russian government.
Schiff said he hopes Comey can shed some light about Russia’s motivations for intervening in the U.S. election. The U.S. intelligence agencies said the hacks on the Democratic National Committee were authorized to help Trump defeat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“For a lot of Americans, this is the first time to really tune in to exactly what the Russians did and what the investigation involves, and I’d like to walk through with both directors what do we know about the Russian operation? What was its breadth?” Schiff told NBC.
On Monday, Trump posted a series of tweets ahead of Comey’s hearing.
“The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!” Trump tweeted.
Trump also said the “real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!”
“What about all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and the Russians? Also, is it true that the DNC would not let the FBI in to look?” Trump tweeted.
