| | | | | Former FBI Director James Comey arrives Thursday to testify before the Senate intelligence committee. Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images | | | "Those Were Lies, Plain and Simple": Comey calls out Trump administration
"The shifting explanations confused me": What Comey thought about the reason given for his firing
"Learning to Code with Arabella": How Ivanka Trump spent eve of testimony | | | What the White House Is Talking About:
Pretty sure we know what the White House is talking about today.
What the White House Press Corps Is Talking About:
Same.
Comey Live Updates Here:
My colleague (the super-rad) Daniella Diaz has kept up on all the action and has been posting live to CNNPolitics.com.
Comey's opening statement though: "The shifting explanations confused me and concerned me. Although the law required no reason at all to fire an FBI director, the administration chose to defame me and the FBI. Those were lies, plain and simple. I am so sorry the FBI workforce had to hear them. And I am so sorry the American public was told them." Who's Watching, Who's not:
Attorney General Jeff Sessions apparently wasn't, but special counsel Robert Mueller was. Still no tweets from President Donald Trump, but word is that he monitored some of the testimony with his legal team and advisers in the White House dining room. And Donald Trump Jr. tuned in somewhere, because he kept tweetstorming what was basically a one-man, rapid-response effort. | | Two Things:
The two moments that really seem to have propelled former FBI Director James Comey's actions: 1. Sessions leaving the February meeting inside the Oval Office, followed by Jared Kushner -- ultimately leaving Comey alone with the President. 2. Trump suggesting on Twitter there were tapes of their private discussion, implying Comey was lying and that he had the proof. Comey said that's when he asked a friend to leak his detailed memos to the press, with the hopes of triggering a special counsel, which it did. Both of those moments led us to where we are today.
Me and Hunter, At the Bar:
So we posted up this morning at Shaw's Tavern in D.C. for the Comey testimony watch party. I personally doubted people would actually show up because I'm old and jaded and think everything is a marketing ploy. I was wrong. There was, and remains, a huge line down the block, and all of the seats and tables inside are filled. People are watching, people are eating, and as of the bar's opening, people are drinking.
The biggest cheers were when Comey answered Sen. Mark Warner's questions, saying he questioned the character of the President. And also when Comey said, "This is about America, this isn't about party."
I'm super-curious to know how much Shaw's made today. I keep watching servers coming out with plates and drinks. I had the FBI Sandwich ($10), which was basically a fried chicken breast sandwich with fries and "top secret" sauce that was clearly Thousand Island but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. | | Credit: Kate Bennett/CNN
Of Course the Brooklyn Bar Is Quiet:
Guys, Brooklyn was serious. Meanwhile, Shaw's Tavern kept getting louder because DC's millennial hipsters have a limited attention span. | | Credit: @sppeoples/Twitter
Ivanka Trump on Eve of Testimony:
Here's what Ivanka Trump was doing the night before Comey's testimony. I'm not being critical of this. As a mom myself, I can confirm that spending time with your child should always take precedence over work. #TheMoreYouKnow | | Credit: @IvankaTrump/Twitter
You Deserve a Break Today:
Seriously, though, this is a good quiz. I took it. And I got Burger King, because basically I deserve to be a queen, amirite. | | What Washington Is Talking About:
Glued to screens, watching former FBI Director James Comey's testimony. I've never in my life been at a bar or restaurant as packed as Shaw's Tavern was this morning that's been as quiet as it was when the hearing began. (It got louder as the morning progressed.)
What America Is Talking About:
The Comey testimony playing live across television and online. It was like C-SPAN everywhere you looked.
Poll of the Day:
A slight majority of voters think Trump will make it through his entire four-year term, but 40% think he won't, including 11% of Republicans, according to a Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday. | | Credit: Quinnipiac
We Didn't Get to Hear Comey's Opening Statement Live:
Comey's seven-page opening statement became public just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, and sadly, he didn't actually read from it this morning, because it was already submitted, he said. Major bummer, because it's well-written and compelling, and I was hoping for a dramatic reading.
But he still brought the fire, saying the Trump administration "chose to defame me" and told "lies, plain and simple."
What's Missing From the Statement:
Comey wrote in his opening statement he had nine one-on-one conversations with Trump, three in person, and six over the phone, and that he felt Trump was pressuring him to "lift the cloud" (Trump's words, per Comey) of the Russia investigation. But he only detailed two of those six calls. What were the other ones and what were said?
I found one of them, a March 1 call, his friend Benjamin Wittes discussed with The New York Times. Wittes said Comey got a phone call from the White House that "the president needs to talk to you urgently," but then "the president gets on he just wants to chitchat." Comey told Wittes he thought Trump was "trying to get him on the team and he saw it in light of his refusal to give him his loyalty."
The others sound like they weren't significant to Comey's point, including one call on something the FBI was working on that the ex-FBI chief said he considered a "totally appropriate call."
Comey Writes His Own Receipts:
Why did Comey take notes on all his conversations with Trump but never with President Barack Obama? He gave three reasons during his testimony: "The circumstances, the subject matter, and the person I was interacting with." Comey said he was "honestly concerned (Trump) might lie about the nature of our meeting" and he wanted to remember all the details. Asked what he thought about if Trump taped their conversations, Comey said, "Lordy, I hope there are tapes."
Live From Shaw's Tavern:
Posted outside, there was a notice that if you enter, you could be on camera. One woman in line hid from the cameras because she told her boss she was out today for an appointment. I won't tell. | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz/CNN
And most people were dressed in normal clothes, but there was a pair in Obama-Biden themed shirts: | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz/CNN
What Clinton Was Doing Instead:
Hillary Clinton tweeted a link to watch her commencement address at Medgar Evers College this morning, but I feel like everyone was busy. | | Credit: @HillaryClinton/Twitter
Where'd You Watch?:
Did you skip work to watch with friends? Did your office or class tune in? Email me how you watched Comey's testimony today at coverlinehunter@cnn.com. | | | | | | |
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