Ousted FBI chief James Comey accused the White House of lies and defamation Thursday, in explosive testimony that painted Donald Trump as dishonest and operating far outside presidential norms. During almost three hours of blockbuster sworn testimony to a Senate panel, Comey described himself as "stunned" by Trump's "very disturbing" and "very concerning" behavior during several private meetings.
Expanding on the bombshell statement released on the eve of his appearance, Comey said the president asked him for "loyalty" during a White House dinner and to lay off former national security advisor Mike Flynn - who is under criminal investigation - imploring Comey to "let this go." "It's my judgment that I was fired because of the Russia investigation," he told senators. "I was fired in some way to change, or the endeavor was to change the way the Russia investigation was being conducted. That is a very big deal."