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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on FBI Director James Comey's testimony to Congress (all times local): 11:00 a.m.
House Republicans are criticizing FBI Director James Comey for immunity deals granted to Hillary Clinton's former chief of staff and others involved in a now-closed FBI investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state.
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte and other Republicans said Wednesday that an immunity deal for Cheryl Mills, Clinton's former chief of staff, was improper and short-circuited a possible criminal prosecution.
Comey said the immunity deal with Mills was granted by the Department of Justice — not the FBI — and was limited to information contained on her laptop. He said the FBI believed that information on the laptop was needed quickly.
Comey said lawmakers "can call us wrong, but don't call us weasels. We are not weasels. We are honest people."
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9:30 a.m.
A top-ranking Democratic lawmaker says intelligence officials have reached a "clear consensus" that the Russian government was behind the hack of the Democratic National Committee emails earlier this year
Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, senior Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday the FBI should investigate whether Russia is working to undermine the U.S. presidential election.
Conyers ridiculed a suggestion by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump that the hack may have been done by "somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds."
Conyers said he agrees with House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who has called Russia "a global menace led by a devious thug."
FBI Director James Comey told Conyers he could not confirm or deny whether the FBI is investigating news reports suggesting that a Trump adviser may have communicated with Russian officials.
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9:00 a.m.
FBI Director James Comey is returning to Capitol Hill to answer more questions about the agency's response to recent acts of extremist violence and whether more could have been done to prevent attacks in Orlando and New York.
Comey also is expected to face questions about why the FBI granted immunity to Hillary Clinton's former chief of staff as part of a now-closed investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state.
Comey will be the sole witness Wednesday as the House Judiciary Committee reviews the FBI's performance in what is likely to be the agency's final oversight hearing this year.
Comey told a Senate panel Tuesday that the FBI is transparent about mistakes, but under questioning from Republicans he offered little new information about the Orlando nightclub massacre or the Manhattan bombing.
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