Panels pledge thorough probe into Comey firing

WASHINGTON -- Members of key congressional committees pledged Sunday to proceed with aggressive investigations into Russia's meddling in the U.S. election and ties with the Trump campaign, saying the American people need a full airing as to why former FBI director James Comey was ousted.

Comey was fired by President Donald Trump earlier this month.

The former director agreed to testify before the Senate intelligence committee after the Memorial Day holiday.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a member of that committee, said he wants to press Comey as to whether he believed the White House was interfering with his work, in light of a spate of news reports Comey had kept detailed records of his interactions with Trump.

The New York Times and other news outlets reported last week on a Comey memo indicating Trump had urged him to drop an investigation into former national-security adviser Michael Flynn.

Separately, another Times report said Trump had told Russian officials in a closed-door meeting at the Oval Office firing Comey "had relieved great pressure on him."

"Did he keep these memos? What do those memos say? And why did he write it? And how did he feel? Did he ever feel like he was being put in a position where he couldn't do his job?" Rubio asked. "There's no doubt that that's the questions that are going to get asked, and asked repeatedly."

Rubio said White House officials had told him they had no transcripts nor notes of Trump's meeting with Russian officials, but "apparently someone has discussed them, or leaked them."

"This cloud is impacting everything else," Rubio said, describing a number of questions, such as possible obstruction of justice, that are hanging over the White House. "So, we need to get over this once and for all."

Leaders of the House oversight committee, Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah and Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, said they would demand Comey's notes.

Cummings also is urging Chaffetz, who is resigning from his job next month, to subpoena the White House for any documents relating to Flynn.

Chaffetz said he expects to speak with Comey today, and if there are any notes of White House meetings, "we're certainly pursuing them."

"There have been so many lies, so many contradictions," Cummings said, adding he expects parallel investigations from Congress to proceed fully after the Justice Department last week appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead an investigation into possible Russian coordination with the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election.

Referring to the whole sequence of events leading to Comey's firing, Cummings added: "I think that there may be quite a few people that may have some problems with the law."

The White House has insisted a "thorough investigation will confirm that there was no collusion between the campaign and any foreign entity."

It has not denied the Times report Trump was critical of Comey to the Russians the day after he fired him.