President Trump has created quite a tumultuous first term in office, and with the imminent testimony of former FBI director James Comey in front of a Senate panel, it looks like the pressure will just keep building.
As it stands today, the former FBI boss is scheduled to speak on Thursday the Senate Intelligence Committee, where he is expected to be questioned on why he was fired on May 9th by President Trump. The purpose of the Senate panel is to investigate possible connections between Russia and the 2016 presidential elections, and whether or not Trump had any ties to underhanded dealings.
A private matter
In theory, President Trump has the ability to invoke executive privilege and block Comey from testifying, but the legal grounding for taking such and action isn't solid. Comey and the FBI may have been investigating former Trump staffer Micheal Flynn when he was “FIRED!”, so there is potentially a conflict of interest in play.
The reality of the situation isn't well known, and given the lapse in time between Flynn's February firing and Comey's ouster, there is the real possibility that the FBI found some inconvenient information the relates to Trump's November victory.
In this instance, the President would be preventing a private citizen from talking to elected officials, and this is a very fuzzy subject indeed.
There are a few options open to the Trump administration, but none of them will be quiet or easy to keep from the public eye. Regardless of what Trump&Co. decide to do, Comey is likely to be able to tell his story eventually.
More pressure coming
As of yet, the Trump Administration has declined to comment publicly on whether or not Comey's testimony will be opposed.
In a recent appearance on “Good Morning America” Kellyanne Conway had no information to share about Trump's plan going forward, but with associates like Nigel Farage being sought for questioning by the FBI, it would appear that there is still official interest in the events surrounding Trump's victory.
If Trump did move to block former director Comey from speaking to the Senate panel, it would only fuel the innuendo that surrounds his surprising rise to power and create even more suspicion of Russian involvement in his election.
Whatever the source of there persistent rumors of Russian involvement in the US political process, it would appear that they are being taken seriously in the highest levels of the federal government.
