Congressional panels pledge thorough probe into Comey firing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Members of key congressional committees pledged Sunday to proceed with aggressive investigations into Russia's meddling into the U.S. election and any ties with the Trump campaign, saying the American people need a full airing as to why former FBI director James Comey was ousted.

Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a member of that committee, said he wants to press Comey as to whether he ever believed the White House was interfering with his work, in light of a spate of news reports that Comey had kept detailed records of his interactions with Trump.

The New York Times reported last week on a Comey memo indicating Trump had urged him to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Separately, another Times report said Trump had told Russian officials in a closed-door meeting at the Oval Office that firing Comey "had relieved great pressure on him."

"There have been so many lies, so many contradictions," Cummings said, adding that he expects parallel investigations from Congress to proceed fully after the Justice Department last week appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to head an investigation into possible Russian coordination with the Trump campaign.