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Comey Agrees to Testify in Open Hearing Before Senate Intel Committee

Former FBI Director James Comey has agreed to testify before an open meeting of the Senate Intelligence Committee, CNBC reports.

In a statement issued on Friday evening, the committee said that it would schedule the hearing for after Memorial Day.

Chairman Sen Richard Burr (R., N.C.) said in the statement that he hopes Comey's testimony "will clarify for the American people recent events that have been broadly reported in the media."

Ranking member Sen. Mark Warner (D., Va.) said in his own statement that he expects the former Director's testimony to "shed light on issues critical" to the Committee's ongoing investigation of possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump's Presidential campaign.

"Director Comey served his country with honor for many years, and he deserves an opportunity to tell his story. Moreover, the American people deserve an opportunity to hear it," wrote Warner in a statement.

President Trump fired Comey last week, setting off a political firestorm that included allegations that he is trying to influence the federal investigation into alleged collusion between his campaign and Russia during the 2016 election.

On Friday, the New York Times reported that Trump told top Russian officials in the Oval Office that Comey was a "nut job" and terminating him had taken off the "great pressure because of Russia."