Former FBI Director James Comey’s lawyers have prevented him from answering a number of questions during Friday’s closed-door testimony before House lawmakers, according to a lawmaker in the room.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., told reporters that some lawmakers have been frustrated with the testimony so far and that Comey didn’t seem upset about being told by his lawyers that he doesn’t have to answer certain questions.
"One of the disappointments of this deposition so far has been the amount of times in which the FBI believes that Congress doesn’t have a right to know," Issa said.
Issa said Comey has two attorneys, including one from the DOJ, who have “instructed” the former FBI director not to answer “a great many questions that are clearly items at the core of our investigation.” Issa said the instructions have been followed with Comey’s “gleeful acceptance.”
"The Department of Justice is going to have to agree to allow him to come back and answer a great many questions that currently he is not answering," Issa said.
Comey, who may publicly speak at some point Friday, initially fought the committee’s subpoena to appear in court but finally forged an agreement to appear. The committee is expected to release a transcript of the interview, perhaps as early as Saturday.
"The details of what's going on in there will remain private until after the deposition," Issa said. "… [T]here is an amazing amount of things that reasonably the public will need to know that the Department of Justice and FBI attorney are guiding him not to answer."
He later told Fox News’ “Outnumbered Overtime” that the questions not being answered generally concerned the Hillary Clinton email probe, surveillance warrants and the anti-Trump dossier.
The former FBI director declined to answer shouted questions from Fox News as he entered the hearing room Friday morning. The questioning will go until 4:15 p.m. ET, North Carolina GOP Rep. Mark Meadows told reporters.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lawyers-stopping-comey-from-answering-questions-during-hill-testimony-gop-rep-says