Comey testifies behind closed doors

WASHINGTON—Former FBI Director James Comey finds himself back on Capitol Hill Friday to testify behind closed doors before two House committees. Republicans subpoenaed Comey to appear before the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, a summons he initially fought in court. He eventually struck a deal that allows him to talk about the questioning afterward and have a transcript released. Comey’s demands sprung from fears that lawmakers might selectively leak details about the hearing out of context.

Committee members are expected to question Comey about his decision not to file criminal charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for using a private email server for government business and mishandling sensitive information. A Justice Department report released in June on Comey’s handling of the Clinton investigation said he was insubordinate and broke protocol but it cleared him of any political bias, a conclusion President Donald Trump contests.

Republicans said FBI officials under Comey demonstrated bias against Trump when the bureau began its investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and cleared Clinton. They point to FBI agent Peter Strzok, who was fired after a House hearing in July over anti-Trump texts he sent to colleague Lisa Page.

Trump fired Comey on May 9, 2017, after it was reported that the FBI director made grossly exaggerated claims during his testimony before Congress.