Speed Reads

it's mueller time

James Comey was reportedly interviewed by Mueller last year

Special Counsel Robert Mueller interviewed former FBI Director James Comey last year for the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The two men discussed "a series of memos [Comey] wrote about his interactions with [President] Trump that unnerved Mr. Comey," the Times wrote.

In one of his memos, Comey claimed that President Trump suggested the FBI back off of its investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Comey was abruptly fired by Trump in May while he was leading the FBI's investigation of Russian meddling, and Flynn had been a party of interest in the FBI's probe. NBC News explained last year how Comey's memos could act as proof of obstruction of justice by the president.

Less than a month into his tenure with the Trump administration, Flynn resigned after lying about a phone call he had in December 2016 with former Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. He has since pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about that phone call. Earlier Tuesday, the Justice Department confirmed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had also been interviewed by Mueller's team.