Comey testifies on Trump pressure, Russia probe

Fired FBI chief James Comey takes center stage today in a dramatic day of testimony on a probe into Russian meddling in the US election that is shaking the foundations of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Setting up Comey’s hotly anticipated appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee was a statement for the record yesterday in which the lawman detailed Trump’s persistent pressure for him to show loyalty and drop a probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s Russia links.

Cable news stations have set countdown clocks to the hearing, and a number of bars in Washington are opening early, with TVs tuned to live broadcasts of the hearing — one of them offering free drinks every time Trump tweets about Comey.

On site, more than 300 people are lined up for the hearing in a room with 88 public seats.

— AFP