Former FBI Director James Comey testified Thursday was"confused" by President Donald Trump's "shifting explanations" about his firing, but he believes his termination was related to Russia.
Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Comey said he did not clearly understand why he was fired, but he takes the president "at his word" and that it has "something to do" with the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Trump also had said that the FBI director had lost the agency's confidence, an assertion which Comey said were "lies, plain and simple."
"And I am so sorry that the FBI workforce had to hear them," Comey said. "And I'm so sorry that the American people were told them."
Comey defended the FBI on Thursday, promising the American people that the agency maintains its independence. He appealed to his former colleagues, saying he was "sorry" he did not get the chance to say goodbye "properly."