All about the 5 probes looking into Trump, Comey and Russia
Michael Knigge
June 8, 2017
With fired FBI director James Comey’s testimony on Thursday the focus is on the Senate Intelligence Committee. But that inquiry is only one of five active investigations into the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia.
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The Special Counsel investigation
Led by former FBI director Robert Mueller, the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's ties to Russia is generally seen as the most significant inquiry. It carries special weight because it is the only criminal - not political - probe, and because the man heading it, Robert Mueller, is widely regarded as an independent mind willing to go wherever the information gathered leads him.
Unlike the other Congressional investigations, which are controlled by Republicans (who hold the majority in both chambers of Congress) and conducted by lawmakers who have many other obligations, perspectives and time constraints, Mueller and his staff can dedicate all their time and energy to this investigation.
Who is James Comey?
From endorsing enhanced interrogation to investigating Russia's alleged election-tampering, the ex-FBI director has contributed to the divisive political landscape in the US. DW examines the man behind the headlines.
Image: Getty Images
A divisive figure
The seventh in a lineage of FBI directors with law degrees, James Comey has shaped politics in the US as the head of the law enforcement agency. But who is the man behind the headlines? From prosecuting an American celebrity to refusing to sanction the NSA's mass surveillance program, DW explores the contentious life of James Comey.
Image: Getty Images
Taking down a celebrity
Serving as Manhattan's chief federal prosecutor, Comey rose to notoriety in 2002, when he led the prosecution of US celebrity Martha Stewart for securities fraud and obstruction of justice. Stewart, widely known in the US for her cooking and lifestyle shows, served a 5-month jail sentence following the highly-publicized case.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/J. Lane
Enhanced interrogation
In late 2003, Comey was confirmed as the US deputy attorney general, making him the second-highest-ranking official in the Justice Department. Serving under former President George W. Bush, Comey endorsed a memorandum approving the use of 13 enhanced interrogation techniques during the War on Terror, including waterboarding. He later said he lobbied to have the policy toned down.
Image: Getty Images/J. Moore
Mass surveillance
Comey has warned of the consequences of domestic mass surveillance, saying in March: "There is no such thing as absolute privacy in America." While serving as acting attorney general during the hospitalization of John Ashcroft in 2004, he refused to endorse the legality of the NSA's domestic surveillance program, even when pressured by the Bush administration.
Image: picture alliance/zb/A. Engelhardt
Obama's choice
In 2013, then-President Barack Obama nominated Comey to serve as the seventh director of the FBI. He received the nomination despite being a registered member of the Republican party. Later that year, he received congressional approval to takeover the office. In his installation speech, he said the bureau's work is founded on integrity. "Without integrity, all is lost," he said.
Image: Reuters
More Holocaust education
In 2015, Comey penned an op-ed on why he required new FBI special agents and intelligence analysts to visit the Holocaust Museum in Washington. He said the reason was to have them understand the consequences of abusing power and to be confronted by the atrocities humans are capable of. "I believe that the Holocaust is the most significant event in human history," he said.
In July 2016, Comey announced that the FBI had found no evidence of criminal intention in Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server as state secretary. But days before the presidential election, he issued a letter to lawmakers informing them of new emails deemed "pertinent to the investigation." He later said no evidence was uncovered. Clinton has since blamed Comey for losing the election.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Images/M. Altaffer
'You're fired'
On May 9, Trump sent Comey an unusual letter firing the FBI director, cutting short his 10-year mandate to lead the bureau. Given the ongoing FBI-led investigation into election-meddling by Russia, critics have warned that the move may amount to obstruction of justice for undermining the probe. Trump later appeared to threaten Comey over the existence of "tapes" of their conversations.
Image: Getty Images/A. Harrer
Trump-Russia nexus
Comey reportedly kept memos of interactions between him and President Donald Trump, which appear to implicate the head of state in attempts to obstruct a federal probe into Russia's alleged involvement in influencing the 2016 election. The day after US media reported on the existence of the memos, the Justice Department named a special counsel to lead the probe amid fears of White House influence.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/A. Shcherbak
Damning testimony?
In June 2017, shortly after being fired, Comey testified in Congress that he believed Trump fired him over the Russia probe. "I was fired in some way to change, or the endeavor was to change, the way the Russia investigation was being conducted," he told lawmakers. He has since released a book, in which he described Trump as a "mafia boss" who is "untethered to the truth."
Image: Reuters/K. Lamarque
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The Senate Intelligence investigation
Led by Senators Richard Burr and Mark Warner, a Republican and Democrat respectively, this inquiry by the Senate Intelligence Committee stands out from the other Congressional investigations because - compared to the others - it is conducted in a more bipartisan manner.
While Richard Burr supported Trump during the election campaign, he has since publicly lauded James Comey as well as criticized the president for firing him. Burr already announced a year ago that he won't be running for re-election in 2022, which may make him more immune from potential political pressures in his handling of the investigation.
The Senate Intelligence committee and its sister committee in the House by definition have access to classified information that the other Congressional committees do not normally possess.
The House Intelligence investigation
Compared to their colleagues in the Senate, the House inquiry has been notorious for the inability of its leaders to cooperate. This climaxed in Republican Representative Devin Nunes, who still heads the Intelligence Committee, stepping down from his leadership role in the investigation after the House Ethics Committee launched an inquiry into whether Nunes had disclosed classified information. The House inquiry is now being led by Republican Michael Conaway and Democrat Adam Schiff.
The House Oversight investigation
Changes are afoot as well for the House Oversight Committee's investigation into the Trump-Russia-Comey complex. The committee's chairman, Republican Jason Chaffetz, announced in May that he would leave Congress at the end of June. Chaffetz, who had been criticized for being too soft in his conduct of the investigation, made headlines when an angry crowd during a town hall meeting loudly called on him to do his job. His Republican successor as committee chair will continue the inquiry with Ranking Democrat Elijah Cummings.
The Senate Judiciary investigation
The Senate Judiciary Committee and its subcommittee on terrorism and crime are also looking into the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russia as well as the reported Russian interference in the election process. The investigations are led jointly by the Republican Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Democrat Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein and by the Republican subcommittee head, Lindsey Graham, and Democrat Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse. The Senate judiciary probe made news recently with the testimony of former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who was also fired by President Trump after refusing to enforce his travel ban on citizens of several Muslim-majority countries.