Washington: Fired FBI director James Comey said Wednesday that Donald Trump urged him to drop a probe into former national security advisor Michael Flynn, prompting fresh allegations that the US president tried to obstruct justice.
"I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy," Comey quoted Trump as telling him on February 14 as they sat alone together in the Oval Office, in prepared testimony for Thursday's Senate hearing.
"I had understood the president to be requesting that we drop any investigation of Flynn in connection with his false statements about his conversations with the Russian ambassador in December," added Comey, who was fired by Trump in early May.
Comey also said Trump demanded a pledge of loyalty in a meeting on January 27, just days after the Republican billionaire took office under a cloud of allegations that Russia's interference had helped him win the election.
They also came shortly after two top US spy agency chiefs had skirted questions from the Senate panel about whether Trump asked them to intervene in the Flynn probe, as reported by The Washington Post.
Neither Director of Intelligence Dan Coats nor National Security Agency chief Mike Rogers denied the Post story. But both said they never felt "pressured" to act.
"I've never felt pressure to intervene or interfere in any way with shaping intelligence in a political way or in relationship to an ongoing investigation," Coats said. 'Very concerning'
Trump began the day by announcing his new nominee to lead the FBI -- Christopher Wray, a career white-collar crime attorney and former Justice Department official under former president George W. Bush.
Wray's nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.
In the wake of the firing, the Justice Department named an special prosecutor, former FBI director Robert Mueller, to lead the government's investigation.
In his statement, Comey made clear he had been uncomfortable discussing an ongoing investigation with the president, even as he assured Trump that he himself was not a target of the probe.
"I could be wrong, but I took him to be focusing on what had just happened with Flynn's departure and the controversy around his account of his phone calls," Comey said.
At the same time, Comey recalled that in a March 30 phone call, Trump asked Comey how to "lift the cloud" of the overall Russia probe that made it difficult for him to lead the country. Dems up in arms
Lawmakers said Thursday's hearing will focus on whether Trump was obstructing justice -- the charge that led to Richard Nixon's resignation in 1973.
Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor said in a tweet that Trump's demand of a loyalty pledge "looks like obstruction."
And Congressman Al Green said he had drafted articles of impeachment that were under review.
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