Former Director of FBI James Comey speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, in Washington D.C., the United States, on June 8, 2017. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu/File photo)
WASHINGTON, June 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Sunday invited President Donald Trump to testify before the Senate about his interactions with former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) James Comey.
"I'd like to invite the president to testify before the Senate. I think we could work out a way that it could be dignified, public with questions with (Senate Republican) Leader (Mitch) McConnell," Schumer told CBS News's "Face the Nation."
Schumer said Trump could "clear up that cloud" surrounding his presidency by testifying or publicly releasing tapes he alluded to recording his interactions with Comey.
"If there are tapes, he alluded to the fact that there are tapes, maybe as a threat or taunting Comey. He should make them public right away. If there aren't tapes, he should let that be known. No more game playing," Schumer argued.
"And of course, he said he would testify. So I' m inviting him to come testify, and we could work that out," Schumer said, adding they would also consult with Robert Mueller, the special counsel to oversee the probe into the Trump campaign's relations with Russia, before the hearing.
At a press conference on Friday, Trump denied Comey's account that he asked Comey to pledge allegiance or he asked the then FBI director to drop the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
"Some of the things he said just weren't true," Trump said, adding he is "100 percent" willing to "speak under oath" to give his version of those events.
The Trump administration fired Comey in early May, citing his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation during the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. But Comey believed that he was fired because of his investigation into Russia's ties to the Trump campaign.
"I was fired in some way to change, or the endeavor was to change, the way the Russia investigation was being conducted," Comey said Thursday at a Senate hearing.
Related:
Trump partially denies Comey's testimony, mum on existence of recordings
WASHINGTON, June 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) James Comey was not speaking the truth regarding several details during his Thursday testimony to the Senate.
"Some of the things he said just weren't true," Trump told a joint press conference with visiting Romanian President Klaus Iohannis. Full story
Spotlight: U.S. Senate hearing sheds light on Trump-Comey interactions
WASHINGTON, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Former Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) James Comey on Thursday told Congress the contents of his interactions with U.S. President Donald Trump since election day, amid concerns that Trump tried to interfere with an ongoing probe on Russia.
Comey, who was sacked by Trump last month, was questioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee as well as Senators John McCain and Jack Reed in a two-and-half-an-hour open session, during which he said Trump had lied about himself and the FBI, but stopped short of accusing Trump of interfering with FBI investigations. Full story
