[Keilar:] Welcome back. As we return to the investigation of Trump campaign ties to Russia, the big question hovering over the Beltway, will fired FBI Director James Comey testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee as expected after Memorial Day? Washington insiders wonder if special counsel, Robert Mueller, is even going to allow it. If it does go through, though, a friend of James Comey gave an ominous hint about what could lie ahead for the president.
[Benjmain Wittes, Friend Of James Comey:] I have no doubt that he regarded the group of people around the president as dishonorable. This is a guy with a story to tell. I think if I were Donald Trump, that would scare me a lot.
[Keilar:] I want to turn now Eric Lichtblau, the assistant managing editor of CNN's Washington bureau. Wow. He's saying that Comey has things to say that are going to be damaging to President Trump.
[Eric Lichtblau, Assistant Manager, Cnn Washington Bureau:] And that he wants to say them publicly. You know, we're hearing the same thing, that if and when Comey testifies, which is probably the week after next, he certainly wants to do it in public. He doesn't want it to be behind closed doors. He wants the spotlight, which he's been in before and he has some stories to tell.
[Keilar:] Donald Trump said he's a showboat. You know, he's sort of accused him of that.
[Lichtblau:] He's said worse than that.
[Keilar:] He's said worse than that. But it also seems that Comey, certainly, recently, when it comes to some of these issues, he wants to hear them and he wants them out there. Some people have said that's not really, when he was FBI director, that's perhaps not the best way but he's compelled to do.
[Lichtblau:] Sure. You remember last July, the famous press conference over the Hillary Clinton e-mail case, which was unprecedented with the FBI director out there giving a 12-minute recap of an investigation that didn't even bring charges. He got a lot of criticism for that. And 10 years ago, he gave a very famous Senate testimony about his confrontation in a hospital room with George W. Bush's lawyers. So he is he's very comfortable in that spotlight. Trump may call him a showboater but others would say he's just someone that wants the story out there.
[Keilar:] That July moment that you're talking about related to Hillary Clinton, that one was of the things that the deputy A.G. cited, the idea that you would have a press conference to explain that there aren't going to be charges brought.
[Lichtblau:] Right.
[Keilar:] So Bob Mueller, who's now been appointed by the Justice Department to go ahead and look independently at these possible connections between the Trump campaign and Russia, he's going to speak to Comey before this.
[Lichtblau:] Sure.
[Keilar:] That's what we know, right?
[Lichtblau:] Yes. And they are very close. They worked together for years after 911 when Mueller was the head of the FBI and Comey was at the Justice Department. Jim Comey is not going to do anything Bob Mueller
[Keilar:] Mueller says, look, can you just cool it so I can do my investigation? What is the expectation on whether that is going to happen?
[Lichtblau:] I'm sure they will have a conversation. I'm sure that they will talk out what the legal complications could be. It you go back to Iran-Contra 20-plus years ago, 25 years ago, you know, the spectacle of Ollie North and Poindexter testifying before Congress created all kinds of legal problems with the Justice Department and the case was ultimately thrown out because it was seen as tainted in some way. The last thing they want is to have that congressional testimony to hurt any possible criminal case. My guess and it's only a guess is that, at the end of the day, Comey gets the green light to testify but not about the investigation itself, not that he'll say, you know, the Russia investigation is off limits but that he would be able to talk about what the president said to him and be able to quash the investigation.
[Keilar:] Which is the big deal anyway.
[Lichtblau:] Which is the blockbuster and some say it's the smoking gun.
[Keilar:] We will see. Eric Lichtblau, thank you so much for that. Interesting for sure.
[Lichtblau:] Pleasure.
[Keilar:] Next, "The Art of the Deal" visits the Vatican. President Trump meeting Pope Francis face to face after previously calling the pope "disgraceful." Also, Sean Spicer feeling slighted after not being able to meet the pope, which is a huge honor for a devout Catholic. And back to our breaking news. The brother of the Manchester bomber arrested while plotting an attack of his own. We'll have details, next.