Editorial: Did Trump try to put the fix in for Michael Flynn? James Comey must testify before Congress immediately

The claim by fired FBI Director James B. Comey that President Trump asked him to shut down an investigation of former national security advisor Michael Flynn is potentially the most explosive development in the unfolding saga of investigations into possible collusion between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign. It has led some members of Congress to begin talking about impeachment, while others are seriously discussing the possibility that the president may have committed obstruction of justice.

This is disturbing stuff that requires the immediate attention of Congress, and the earliest possible testimony by Comey — in public session.

At issue is a note Comey wrote to himself describing a conversation with Trump on Feb. 14, the day after Flynn was dismissed for having misled Vice President Mike Pence about a telephone conversation with Russia’s ambassador. According to the New York Times, which first reported the note’s existence, it was written as part of a “paper trail” Comey was creating to document what he saw as the president’s improper efforts to influence the investigation.

According to the note, which associates of Comey have shared with the media, Trump asked to speak to Comey privately in the Oval Office after a national security meeting. “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” Trump supposedly told Comey. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

The White House denied Comey’s version of what happened, saying that “the president has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end an investigation, including any investigation involving Gen. Flynn.”

Comey’s account would be troubling under any circumstances. But it comes at a moment when the credibility of the White House is already being questioned. Just a few days earlier, Trump fired Comey under suspicious circumstances. Originally the White House said the FBI director had been fired because of the way he handled the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server as secretary of State. But that explanation imploded when Trump admitted in a television interview that “when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, ‘you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.’”

Comey’s account of his conversation with Trump raises serious questions about whether the president engaged in obstruction of justice by pressuring the FBI director to shut down the investigation. That conduct would be outrageous even if it proved unsuccessful and the investigation continued anyway. It’s vital that Congress establish, and quickly, whether Trump sought to pervert the process by putting undue pressure on an employee.

House and Senate committees have immediately — and rightly — requested copies of the memos related to this controversy. (Four members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, including California’s Sen. Dianne Feinstein, have also asked the FBI and White House for records relating to Comey’s communications with the Obama administration in relation to the Clinton email investigation.) The FBI and the White House should promptly comply with these congressional requests, and Trump shouldn’t hide behind executive privilege.

It is important not to rush to judgment about this allegation. But the comments attributed to Trump by Comey are deeply disturbing and the president’s past prevarications make it hard for Americans to take his denials at face value. That is why Congress needs to focus on establishing the truth about this matter, and soon.

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