The recently fired director of the FBI, James Comey, said on Capitol Hill Thursday that he believed U.S. President Donald Trump was trying to get him to drop an investigation of Trump's former national security adviser, and that White House officials spread "lies, plain and simple" to cover up the reason for his dismissal.

"There's no doubt that I was fired because of the Russia investigation," Comey told lawmakers, referring to the widening investigation of Russian influence on last year's U.S. presidential election, which American intelligence agencies have said was an effort by the Kremlin to assist Trump's electoral defeat of his Democratic opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The president's efforts "to change the way the Russia investigation was conducted, that is a big deal," Comey said.

Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee was his first chance to speak in public about the meetings and conversations he had with Trump during the months before he was fired. The former head of the nation's largest law-enforcement agency was questioned alternately by Republican and Democratic senators for nearly three hours; the dramatic session was covered live by all major U.S. television networks, and broadcast worldwide.

The president's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, told reporters immediately after the Senate hearing that Trump "never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone."

After Comey's abrupt and stunning dismissal last month, Trump and his aides said the action was necessary because the Federal Bureau of Investigation was in disarray, and its director had lost the trust of his agents.

最近被解雇的前聯邦調查局局長科米星期四在國會作證說，他認為美國總統川普試圖讓他放棄對前國家安全顧問的調查，而且白宮官員為掩蓋他被解雇的原因散布了“一派謊言”。

科米對議員們說：“毫無疑問，我是因為俄羅斯調查而被解雇的?！?科米是指擴大對俄羅斯影響去年美國大選的調查。美國情報機構表示，克林姆林宮曾試圖幫助川普在選舉中擊敗其民主黨競選對手、前國務卿希拉里·克林頓。

科米說：總統“努力改變俄羅斯調查的方式，是一個很大的問題。”

科米在參議院情報委員會的作證，是他第一次有機會公開談論他在被解雇前的幾個月中同川普的會面和談話內容。共和黨和民主黨議員對美國最大執法機構的這位前負責人進行了近三小時的輪流提問。美國所有主要電視資訊網都對這個戲劇性的聽證會進行了報道和全球播放。

川普總統的私人律師卡索維茨在參議院聽證會后馬上對記者表示，川普“從未在形式或內容上指示或暗示科米應該停止對任何人的的調查。”

上個月，在科米令人驚訝地被突然解雇之后，川普和他的助手表示，這個行動是必要的，因為聯邦調查局一片混亂，它的負責人失去了下屬的信任。

The recently fired director of the FBI, James Comey, said on Capitol Hill Thursday that he believed U.S. President Donald Trump was trying to get him to drop an investigation of Trump's former national security adviser, and that White House officials spread "lies, plain and simple" to cover up the reason for his dismissal.

"There's no doubt that I was fired because of the Russia investigation," Comey told lawmakers, referring to the widening investigation of Russian influence on last year's U.S. presidential election, which American intelligence agencies have said was an effort by the Kremlin to assist Trump's electoral defeat of his Democratic opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The president's efforts "to change the way the Russia investigation was conducted, that is a big deal," Comey said.

Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee was his first chance to speak in public about the meetings and conversations he had with Trump during the months before he was fired. The former head of the nation's largest law-enforcement agency was questioned alternately by Republican and Democratic senators for nearly three hours; the dramatic session was covered live by all major U.S. television networks, and broadcast worldwide.

The president's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, told reporters immediately after the Senate hearing that Trump "never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone."

After Comey's abrupt and stunning dismissal last month, Trump and his aides said the action was necessary because the Federal Bureau of Investigation was in disarray, and its director had lost the trust of his agents.

最近被解雇的前聯邦調查局局長科米星期四在國會作證說，他認為美國總統川普試圖讓他放棄對前國家安全顧問的調查，而且白宮官員為掩蓋他被解雇的原因散布了“一派謊言”。

科米對議員們說：“毫無疑問，我是因為俄羅斯調查而被解雇的?！?科米是指擴大對俄羅斯影響去年美國大選的調查。美國情報機構表示，克林姆林宮曾試圖幫助川普在選舉中擊敗其民主黨競選對手、前國務卿希拉里·克林頓。

科米說：總統“努力改變俄羅斯調查的方式，是一個很大的問題?！?/p>

科米在參議院情報委員會的作證，是他第一次有機會公開談論他在被解雇前的幾個月中同川普的會面和談話內容。共和黨和民主黨議員對美國最大執法機構的這位前負責人進行了近三小時的輪流提問。美國所有主要電視資訊網都對這個戲劇性的聽證會進行了報道和全球播放。

川普總統的私人律師卡索維茨在參議院聽證會后馬上對記者表示，川普“從未在形式或內容上指示或暗示科米應該停止對任何人的的調查?！?/p>

上個月，在科米令人驚訝地被突然解雇之后，川普和他的助手表示，這個行動是必要的，因為聯邦調查局一片混亂，它的負責人失去了下屬的信任。