Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the Ranking Member of the Committee on the Judiciary, and Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), the Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released a joint statement after today’s closed-door interview with former FBI Director James Comey:

“Director Comey’s testimony today offered us nothing new from his previous testimony on these same matters.  We see no reason why our Republican counterparts turned what could have been a one-day public hearing into a two-day closed-door interview. As the Special Counsel’s investigation appears to be closing in on the President and his associates, our Republican colleagues seem intent on spending their final days in power attempting to provide cover to President Trump and attempting to re-litigate the Department of Justice’s decision not to prosecute Secretary Clinton.” 

Key takeaways from the Comey interview:

• Director Comey’s statements today about Hillary Clinton were consistent with his previous public comments and Congressional testimony. There were no new material facts produced.

• Director Comey stated that President Trump’s attacks on the Department of Justice and the Special Counsel are corrosive and damaging, make the FBI’s job harder, make Americans less safe, and undermine national security.

• Director Comey said that he had no concerns then, and has no concerns now, about the lawfulness of Carter Page’s FISA application.

• Director Comey said that he would “bet his life” on the integrity of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation—but that he and Mueller are not “best friends” as President Trump has stated.

• Director Comey confirmed that in July 2016, the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation into four Americans who were associated with President Trump or his campaign, to determine whether there was a connection between them and the Russian efforts to undermine the 2016 elections.

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