(WXXI News & AP) Varying reactions, much of it along party lines, to the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey in Washington on Thursday.
Some GOP lawmakers, like Western NY Congressman Chris Collins, argued that Trump's action were a result of well-meaning inexperience or dedication to his aides.
"I'm frankly proud of him for standing up for someone who was as loyal as Mike Flynn was throughout the campaign," Collins said of Comey's dramatic depiction of an Oval Office meeting in which Trump allegedly said he hoped the FBI would let the Flynn investigation go.
According to TheHill.com, Senate Minority Leader and NY Democrat Chuck Schumer said that with Comey’s testimony, "The cloud hanging over this administration has just gotten a whole lot darker. Few committee hearings in the history of the Senate have produced the kind of eye-opening testimony that we heard today."
Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, a Democrat from Fairport, released a statement saying that, “Director Comey’s testimony is a reminder of the old adage that where there’s smoke, there’s fire. His testimony made clear that President Trump likely obstructed justice when he suggested Director Comey back down from what should be an independent FBI investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.”
