Grassley, Feinstein ask for Comey memos

By Ed Tibbetts, Quad-City Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. ? The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday requested that the FBI turn over memos written by fired FBI Director James Comey relating to conversations he had with President Trump, as well as any memos pertaining to former President Obama.

The committee, which is chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, also asked the White House to provide any recordings, if they exist, detailing interactions with Comey that relate to the FBI?s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election or the Clinton email scandal.

Grassley and the committee?s ranking Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California, along with two other senators on the committee, made the requests in separate letters to the FBI and the White House.

The letters come on the heels of a New York Times report that Comey had written a memo detailing a conversation with the president in which Trump allegedly asked him to stop the inquiry into National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Flynn was later fired by the president after it was disclosed that he had contacts with Russian officials and then misled others about them.

Some Trump critics say the conversation with Comey was tantamount to obstruction of the FBI?s investigation.

In a conference call with Iowa reporters on Wednesday, Grassley said he plans to exercise the committee?s oversight responsibilities. ?And as I?ve said so often, we need to get the facts out in the open. We can?t just rely upon selective leaks and reports.?

Grassley also said, if there was interference, ?then it seems to me Comey should have taken action on that interference.? Other Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, have questioned why Comey did not act on the issue.

Grassley added it was likely the Judiciary Committee would hold a hearing on the matter.

In addition to asking for evidence relating to Comey?s interactions with the two presidents, the committee also asked for information on contacts with Justice Department officials in both administrations.

Democrats have seized on the revelations about Trump in the aftermath of his firing of Comey, with one Democratic congressman from Texas calling for his impeachment on Tuesday.

Republicans, meanwhile, have continued asking questions about the FBI?s investigation into Hillary Clinton?s use of a private email server last year.

The Senate Intelligence Committee had already requested the Comey memos.

The Judiciary Committee letter to the White House mentioned the Times article, saying ?the article alleged that Mr. Comey had memorialized a conversation with the President in which the President made statements that have been interpreted as asking the FBI to clear Mr. Flynn of alleged wrongdoing. The article noted that Mr. Comey was known among his closest advisers to document conversations that he believed would later be called into question. Last week, the President tweeted a message implying that the White House may have audio recordings of interactions with Mr. Comey.?

Ever since the tweet, Democrats and members of the news media have been asking about the existence of such recordings, but the White House has not confirmed they exist.

Grassley and Feinstein asked for the information by next Wednesday. They were joined in the letters by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, who lead Judiciary?s subcommittee on crime and terrorism.