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Former FBI director James Comey is set to testify next Thursday before a US Senate panel investigating Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 US election, in a hearing that could add to difficulties facing President Donald Trump.
Key points:
- Mr Comey will be asked about his communications with Mr Trump regarding Russia
- President renews his allegation that Obama administration monitored his campaign
- Officials accuse Mr Trump and associates of being "more concerned with pushing a narrative than seeking truth"
In his first public appearance since Mr Trump fired him on May 9, Mr Comey will address the Senate Intelligence Committee in both an open session and behind closed doors, which would allow him to discuss classified information, the committee said.
Mr Comey was leading the FBI's probe into the allegations, and his firing sparked a political uproar.
Facing rising pressure, the Justice Department last month named Robert Mueller, another former FBI chief, as a special counsel to investigate the matter.
The Justice Department and multiple US congressional committees are investigating Russia's actions in the 2016 presidential election and questions about possible collusion between Russian officials and Mr Trump's campaign associates.
At next week's hearing, Mr Comey is expected to be asked about conversations in which Mr Trump is reported to have pressured him to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, whose ties to Russia are under scrutiny.
Controversy erupted again this week after the Republican head of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, approved subpoenas to the CIA, FBI and National Security Agency for information relating to the "unmasking" of the names of Trump campaign advisers inadvertently picked up in top-secret foreign communications intercepts.
The White House and Mr Nunes have alleged that former Democratic president Barack Obama's administration eavesdropped on Mr Trump's campaign, an assertion that Mr Comey has disputed and current US officials dismiss as absurd.
Four current and former US officials who have reviewed the materials told reporters there was no evidence that political motives drove Mr Obama's aides to request the names be "unredacted"; the names of US citizens mentioned in foreign communications intercepted by US intelligence agencies are normally redacted, or "masked," in intelligence reports.
"There is no substance to this, so the only way to look at it is as an attempt to distract the headlines and the public from Comey's public testimony and Mueller's investigation, both of which are serious," said one of the US officials familiar with the information Mr Nunes subpoenaed.
Committee aides complained Mr Nunes had acted unilaterally, and the top Democrat on the panel, representative Adam Schiff, said Mr Nunes' actions violated his earlier decision to recuse himself from the Russia probe.
Democratic representative Jackie Speier said it appeared that Mr Nunes was "more concerned with pushing the White House narrative than seeking the truth".
The story is 'surveillance' under Obama: Trump
On Thursday, Mr Trump renewed his allegation, without citing evidence, that his campaign communications were monitored.
Mr Nunes followed suit hours later, tweeting: "Seeing a lot of fake news from media elites and others who have no interest in violations of Americans' civil liberties via unmaskings."
Russia has repeatedly denied any effort to interfere in the US election, but Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that some Russians might have acted on their own without their Government's involvement.
Mr Trump has denied any collusion between Russia and his campaign.
He has repeatedly questioned the US intelligence finding that Mr Putin directed an operation that included computer hacking, fake news and propaganda intended to swing the election in Mr Trump's favour against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
Reuters
Topics: donald-trump, world-politics, us-elections, united-states