President Trump will not invoke executive privilege to block the testimony of ousted FBI Director James Comey, the White House said Monday.
“In order to facilitate a swift and thorough examination of the facts sought by the Senate Intelligence Committee, President Trump will not assert executive privilege regarding James Comey’s scheduled testimony,” Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday.
The Senate Intelligence Committee announced last week that Comey will testify in an open hearing on June 8, his first official government appearance since Trump unexpectedly fired him last month.
White House Senior adviser Kellyanne Conway hinted last Friday that the President was considering invoking executive privilege.
“The President will make that decision,” she said on “Good Morning America,” although she acknowledged the White House would watch the hearing “with the rest of the world.”
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Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com