Comey testifies in front of Congress on Capitol Hill
On Thursday former FBI Director James Comey gave his highly-anticipated testimony regarding the alleged Russian meddling in last year´s presidential campaign. Comey gave a prepared statement on Wednesday evening talking about the encounters which he had had with the President and his thoughts on why he was fired.
He told the Congress that President Donald Trump demanded loyalty from him and also confirmed that the President asked him to drop the investigation into the ties between former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and Russia. Comey further confirmed that the President was not under scrutiny, which seemed to be the most important thing for Mr Trump. Comey stated that he thinks he was fired over the Russian investigation.
The testimony did not cast the President in the best light but Comey shied away from stating it was an obstruction of justice. He said that the terms that were used during their conversations could be interpreted differently and he leaves the question open for his successor. But Comey felt the need to write down every detail from his conversations with Donald Trump as he was concerned the President might lie about their interactions.
After his public hearing on Thursday, the testimony continued in a closed setting.
highly-anticipated (ˈhaɪli-ænˈtɪsɪpeɪt) – mit Spannung erwartet
testimony (ˈtestɪməni) – die (Zeugen)aussage
alleged (əˈleʤd) – angeblich
to meddle (ˈmedl̩) – sich einmischen
to be prepared (prɪˈpeəd) – hier: vorverfasst
statement (ˈsteɪtmənt) – die Äusserung
encounter (ɪnˈkaʊntəʳ) – die Begegnung
to demand (dɪˈmɑ:nd) – etwas verlangen, fordern
to drop (drɒp) – etwas fallen lassen
tie (taɪ) – hier: die Verbindung
further (ˈfɜ:ðəʳ) – weiterhin
under scrutiny (ˈskru:tɪni) – unter Beobachtung sein
to state (steɪt) – etwas aussagen
to shy away (ʃaɪ əˈweɪ) – sich scheuen, vor etwas zurückschrecken
obstruction of justice (əbˈstrʌkʃən ˈʤʌstɪs) – die Rechtsbehinderung
terms (tɜ:m) – hier: die Begriffe, die Formulierungen
successor (səkˈsesəʳ) – der Nachfolger
might (maɪt) – hier: könnte