No smoking gun, but narrative against Trump strengthens after ex-FBI director's testimony

Any day the former head of the FBItestifiesthat the president of the United States has repeatedlyliedcannot be considereda particularly good day for the commander-in-chief.

But in his highly anticipated testimony, James Comey didn't drop any bombshells, any new devastating information that builds a vastly stronger case for those who talk impeachment or accuse the president of obstructing justice.

"Is this a great day for Donald Trump? Absolutely not,"said GaryNordlinger, of George Washington University's Graduate School of Political Management. "But I think impeachment [talk] is absolutely premature," he said.

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Comey testified before theSenate intelligence committee on Thursday,just one of a number of committees and agencies, and a special counsel, that are investigating whether Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election or what'smore politically explosive, whethermembers of the Trump campaign team co-ordinated efforts with officials from Moscow.

Later in the day, Comey spoke againwith that same Senate intelligence committee behind closed doors,but it's unknown what was discussed and what his answers may have been to some pointed questions from senators about the Russian allegations.

While impeachment proceedings against Trump may not be any closer, Comey's testimonyadded to and reinforcedsome troubling and extraordinary accusationsagainst the sitting president.

Comey boldlyaccused the president of lying. He said Trumphadsought a loyalty pledge from himand wanted him to drop a Russia-related probeinto his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

The White House explanation for his firingwere"lies, plain and simple," he said.

How damaging was Comey's testimony?

7 years ago

Duration 7:16

Political commentator and author David Frum analyzes what James Comey's testimony means for the Trump administration

'That's just dramatic'

"I think it just drove some points,"said MichaelGerhardt, a University of North Carolina law professor. "It's very soberingwhena former FBI director is saying these kinds of things. That's just dramatic."

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Comeydeclaredthat the Trump administration "defamed him and more importantly the FBI" by claiming the bureau was in disorder under his leadership.

He said he took notes after a private meeting with the president because there might come a day when he would need a record, as Trump "might lie about the nature of our conversation."

"This hurts Trump from a PR perspective,"said Republican strategist EvanSiegfried."The former head of the FBI went before the American people and repeatedly called him a liar."

Manyof the more damaging accusations against Trump have previouslybeen revealed in news reports. And the former director had alreadystolen some of his own thunder byreleasing his openingstatement tothe committee,which was made public on itswebsiteWednesday. But that didn't makethe testimony any less riveting.

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Comey spoke about aFeb. 14 meeting in the Oval Office, in which TrumporderedAttorney General Jeff Sessions and senioradvisor and son-in-law JaredKushnerto leave the room before he chatted withComey.

Comeysaid he knew "something big is about to happen" and that heneeded to remember every word that wasspoken. Trump proceeded to say to him, Comeyalleged, that he hoped Comey would "let it go," regarding aninvestigation of former nationalsecurity adviser Flynn and his ties to Russia.

Did Comey believe the president was trying to obstruct justice with that comment? Hesaid it wasn't for him to say.

'As a direction'

Comey said he didn'tbelieve he was being ordered to drop the probe, but he did take Trump's comments"as a direction" that was meant to be obeyed.

"It kind of rings in my ears as, 'Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?'" Comey said, an allusion to a suggestion made by King Henry II that led to the killing of Thomas Becket.

It built on a narrative that is damaging to the president,said ChrisEdelson, assistant professor at American University's department of government. Trump wantedComey'sloyalty, and he wantedComeyto take action regarding part of the investigation into his former security adviser.

"When he didn't get that, he firedComey. If that's right, those are pretty serious issues legally and or politically," he said.

Legal experts have mixed thoughts on whether Trump was trying to obstruct justice in his conversation with Comey.

Philip Allen Lacovara, a former deputy solicitor general in the U.S. Justice Department, toldAs It Happenshost Carol Offthat he believed Comey's testimony was enough to establish elements of a crime.

But Gerhardtsaid he didn't thinkComey'stestimony changed the needle one way or the otheras to whether obstruction had occurred. (Although he said it was "disturbing"thepresident had ordered Sessions andKushnerout of the roombefore talking to Comey.)

MarkRozell, dean of George Mason University'sScharSchool of Policy and Government,said he didn't hear anything that would point to "smoking gun evidence."

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Comeyalso speculated on why he thought he was fired. He said he wasn't sure, but believed, as Trump had said in an NBC News interview, that it had to do with the Russia investigation.Comeysurmisedthat his investigation was creating pressure on Trump, pressure the president wanted relieved.

I didn't thinkany new information came out. But what you had was the human emotion of hearingComey'stestimony.- GaryNordlinger,George Washington University

Yet Gerhardtquestioned the significance of Comey'sopinion about his dismissal."Comeyisa player in the situation, so he doesn'thave objectivity. One witness talking about another witness."

Thursday's hearing was certainly one of the most anticipated in recent U.S. political history. Hopeful observers, many of them governmentinterns, had begun arrivingat the Senate Hart Office building at 4 a.m. to witness what they considered to be ahistoric moment.

Inside, hundredsstood in a line that stretched to an adjoining office building. But most of those were turned away, as the room onlyaccommodatedless than 90 seats for spectators. The rest were packed with members of the press,politicalVIPs, members of the Senate intelligencecommittee, andComey himself, who spent nearly three hours fieldingquestions from the committee.

'Human emotion'

"I thought it was a fascinatingmorning,a very remarkable morning,"Nordlingersaid. "I didn't thinkany new information came out. But what you had was the human emotion of hearingComey'stestimony as opposed to simply reading his words."

Shortly after theComeyhearing, Trump's lawyer Marc Kasowitzmade a statement denying that Trump had ever asked theFBI director to drop any investigation into anyone, and insisting the presidentnever demanded a loyalty pledge.

Rozell said we have a classic case of two people in a room together with no independent voice to corroborate either side.

"Getting to the truth isn't going to be very easy. Still don'thave a smoking gun, we have an allegationand we have a 'he said he said' situation," Rozell said.