Former FBI Director's Testimony Released: 'Trump Expected Loyalty'

James Comey, the ousted head of the FBI, provided a statement to the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, June 7, indicating that Donald Trump had 'expected loyalty' from him. Comey is scheduled to testify before the committee on Thursday at 10 a.m. local time and has requested that his testimony be released a day earlier. In reference to his meeting with Trump, Comey stated, 'The President said, I need loyalty. I expect loyalty. I did not move, I did not say anything, not even my facial expression changed... We just looked at each other in silence.' The former FBI director further stated that he responded to end the conversation by saying, 'You will have that [loyalty coupled with honesty] from me.' Comey also confirmed that the U.S. President was not a subject of the FBI's investigations. Comey's testimony regarding Trump's conversation with him and the investigation into Michael Flynn is significant because, according to FBI law, investigations must always remain independent of the executive branch, and the U.S. President has no right to interfere in these matters. Trump's decision to fire Comey provoked a strong reaction from Democrats, who argue that the dismissal was aimed at covering up the agency's investigation into the connections between Trump's campaign and Russia to influence the election results. Trump has denied any 'collusion' between Russia and his campaign and stated that Russia had no impact on the votes of citizens in the 2016 election. Trump has repeatedly emphasized that the narrative of Russian interference in the U.S. elections is a fabricated story by Democrats to justify their loss in the presidential election. However, the issue of illegal Russian interference in the U.S. election process was initially raised not by Democrats but by the country's intelligence agencies. According to Politico, the former FBI director confirmed that he had a conversation with the U.S. President in the White House last February regarding Michael Flynn, and Trump's remarks, according to Comey, were a request to end the investigation into Flynn. Earlier reports from various media outlets indicated that during a meeting with James Comey, the ousted head of the FBI, Trump requested an end to the investigations regarding the 'relationships' between his former national security advisor and Russia. The White House denied these reports. If the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee conclude on Thursday that Trump indeed made such a request and attempted to 'obstruct justice,' the possibility of impeachment against the U.S. President may arise, which is currently a demand from several Democratic representatives and senators. Michael Flynn resigned from his position on February 25 after reports emerged regarding his 'contact' with the Russian ambassador in the U.S. and 'discussions about imposed sanctions.' In his resignation letter, he acknowledged having multiple contacts with the Russian ambassador during the transition period between the Trump administration and the previous one and provided 'incomplete' information to Vice President Mike Pence regarding the content of these contacts. The White House has stated that media reports about the former FBI director's notes 'do not provide a true and accurate picture of the conversation between the President and Mr. Comey... The President never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any of the investigations.' In this context, Trump appointed a former Justice Department official to manage the FBI.