by Itunuoluwa Adebo

Former FBI Director James Comey has declined an invitation to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee next week.

Comey had been invited to testify before a closed session in the wake of his controversial firing by President Trump earlier this week, but declined to do so.

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Trump fired Comey Tuesday after receiving a recommendation to do so by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, citing his handling of the Clinton email probe last year. However, Trump later clarified that he would have fired Comey even without Rosenstein’s recommendation.

Democrats and some Republicans have expressed concern at the timing of the probe, noting the FBI’s current investigation into alleged interference by the Russian government in the U.S. presidential election.