came to partisan politics when it came to the questioning there but there are several key moments that people will ta ke several key moments that people will take from this. first, the opening statement. we expected him to read out the witness statement that we have a preview of but he went off script, saying that trump had defamed him, calling him a liar. that's not the first time. he talked about his mistrust of the president through his tenure as fbi director, when president trump was in office. in fact he treated him differently to other presidents and kept notes, something he didn't do with president bush or president obama. he did that because he did not trust mrtrump to he did that because he did not trust mr trump to tell the truth. he said that he thought trump would lie about the meetings. when it comes to his details with president trump he says his colleagues were also not happy with the way things were going. and when it came to the russian investigation and why he was

fired, james comey told the panel that he believed that he was fired because of the way that he was conducting the russian investigation. so there's a lot perhaps for democrats to mull over but republicans too because james comey admitted he had leaked his memos to the press, especially the one where he talked to the president in the oval office about the national security adviser, the fire adviser, michael flynn. that conversation where president trump is alleged to have turned to him and asked whether there was a way of letting the investigation go, the republicans will pounce on that and say that james comey is one of these people who is linking information. it was partisan in the way he talked about the clinton campaign —— who is leaking information. a conversation with loretta lynch, obama's

administrator, to say that the enquiry into hillary clinton's e—mail server to call it a matter, not an enquiry. when he said about what mr trump had said to him, and james comey said he didn't know whether that amounted to obstruction of justice, that was for the special counsel to decide, in a way, is that the key point, whether this amounts to obstruction ofjustice or not? you've hit the nail on the head, one reason there is so much attention and this is such a blockbuster event, is that people are looking to find out whether or not president trump broke the law, whether he was trying to prevent the fbi from doing itsjob, and trying to prevent the fbi from doing its job, and carrying trying to prevent the fbi from doing itsjob, and carrying out an investigation into alleged russian meddling in the election campaign

and alleged trump collusion with moscow. when it comes to that, from james comey‘s testimony he did not go one way or the other but it does not seem from his testimony, many people are speculating that it didn't go that far commit that it didn't go that far commit that it didn't reach the threshold for that. but there are a number of things in james comey‘s words that he finds concerning, troubling and many people will look at the behaviour of president trump in many of these meetings. i spoke to lindsey graham, a republican senator, who referred to donald trump as a ball in a china shop. even members of his own party looking at his conduct rather unfavourably. for the moment, thank you. i think we can hearfrom president trump, who is speaking in ohio at the moment. 0k, president trump, who is speaking in ohio at the moment. ok, but a good bill passed in the house, something

i hope great is going to come through mitch mcconnell and the senate and we're working very hard, ican senate and we're working very hard, i can tell you, we are really working hard. if we had the best plan in the history of the world, we wouldn't get one democrat vote, just remember that. if we wouldn't get one democrat vote, just rememberthat. if we had wouldn't get one democrat vote, just remember that. if we had a wouldn't get one democrat vote, just rememberthat. if we had a plan wouldn't get one democrat vote, just remember that. if we had a plan that gave you the greatest health care everin gave you the greatest health care ever in history, you wouldn't get one democratic vote cause they are obstructionists, they are bad right i'iow obstructionists, they are bad right now for the country. they've gone so far left, i don't know if they can ever come back. now, as a, believe it or not, a politician, i would never call myself that, i became president, sol never call myself that, i became president, so i guess i'm a politician! selfishly, i love where they've gone because i think they've taken the wrong path, but they've gone so far left, trying to appease a certain group, that i think they've made a horrible mistake.

what they've done, they've tried to obstruct and that's why when it comes to the elections in 18, we've got to get more because we are only up got to get more because we are only up by got to get more because we are only up by two in the senate. and a pretty small number in the house. we have to build up those numbers because we aren't going to... times might change, and that may happen at a point. i can rememberwhen republicans and democrats would fight like hell and then they would have lunch together, and get a lot of things done. now the lunches and dinners don't take place, the level of hatred is beyond anything i've seen. so they are obstructionists but we're going to get health care done, we're going to get the tax cuts done, we have the biggest tax cuts done, we have the biggest tax cut and great tax reform. we're going to get it done but sadly we're going to get it done but sadly we're going to get it done but sadly we're going to have to do it as republicans because we won't get any democrat votes and that's a very

sad, sad thing. i filled democrat votes and that's a very sad, sad thing. ifilled my administration and cabinet with people who share our priorities and wa nt people who share our priorities and want to deliver for the american people. and even that, as you know, it's so hard, the process, because of the obstruction. they say resist, but really they should say obstruct. it's so hard because when you hear that we have vacancies, take a look at what's going on. getting the simplest appointment is a big deal that takes for ever. our wonderful vice president mike pence is here this week, what a great guy he is, great guy. doctor james this week, what a great guy he is, great guy. doctorjames dobson. stand—up, james. applause great man, a great guy. thank you, james. receives a lifetime

achievement award. but today i also wa nt achievement award. but today i also want to congratulate doctor dubs and his wife shirley who was with me at the beginning of the campaign. she was substituting for james the beginning of the campaign. she was substituting forjames because he was so busy, preaching. i said, you know what, james comey she may be better than you are, she was good! —— you know what, james, she might be better than you are. we thought he may have some wii action to what james comey, the thought he may have some wii action to whatjames comey, the former fbi director, was saying, but not so far —— have some reaction. much of the testimony from comey is based on the knowsley road after meeting president trump and asked why he felt the need to record the meetings he gave this response. a combination

of things, i think these circumstances, the subject matter and the person i was interacting with. i was alone with the president of the united states, with the president—elect. the subject matter i was talking about, matters that touch on the fbi's all responsibility and relate to the president—elect personally, and the nature of the person. i was concerned he might lie about the nature of the meeting so i thought it important to document. that nation of things i had never experienced before but i thought i had to write it down in a very detailed way. —— that combination of things. one of the things being focused on is whether president trump attempted to obstructjustice by leaning on james comey trump attempted to obstructjustice by leaning onjames comey to drop the investigation into his former national security adviser‘s dealings with russia. mr comey said the president said to him that he hoped he could let the investigation go. during the hearing, mr comey was challenged on how direct donald trump's language was. he did not

direct you to let it go? not in his words, no. he did not order you to let it go? again, those words are not an order. he said "i hope". like me, you probably did hundreds, maybe thousands of cases charging people with criminal offences and of course you have knowledge of the thousands of cases where people have been charged. do you know of any case where a person has been charged, or any other criminal offence, where the person has said or thought, hoped for an outcome? the person has said or thought, hoped for an outcome ?|j the person has said or thought, hoped for an outcome? i don't know well enough to answer and the reason i keep saying his words, i took it asa i keep saying his words, i took it as a direction. it is the president of the united states with me alone, saying "i hope this" i took that as him meaning what he wanted me to do.

ididn't him meaning what he wanted me to do. i didn't obey but that is how i took it. i know the oval office and i know what happens to people when they walk in, there's a certain amount of intimidation but why didn't you stop and day, mr president, this is wrong, i can't discuss this with you? great question, maybe if i were stronger, i would have. question, maybe if i were stronger, iwould have. i question, maybe if i were stronger, i would have. i was so stunned by the conversation that ijust took it in and the only thing i could think to say, i was trying to remember every word he said, it was playing in my mind, what should my response be, which is why i carefully chose the words. i have seen his tweet about tapes, i hope that there are tapes. he said, i agree he's a good quy “ tapes. he said, i agree he's a good guy “i tapes. he said, i agree he's a good guy —— i said i agree he's a good quy- guy —— i said i agree he's a good guy. maybe other people would be stronger in that circumstance, but thatis stronger in that circumstance, but that is how i converted myself. i hope i never have an opportunity and

if id hope i never have an opportunity and ifidi hope i never have an opportunity and if id i would do it better. what does constitute obstruction of justice? were those words, "i hope you can let the investigation go" was that enough? james rosen is president of the national constitution centre. . thanks for joining us. from what you've been able to hear from joining us. from what you've been able to hearfrom comey‘s joining us. from what you've been able to hear from comey‘s testimony, do you think donald trump's words, do you think donald trump's words, do they amount to obstruction of justice? we don't know any more than we did before, the crucial meetings where the president said, i hope you can let this go, is the crucial thing. comey was asked directly and he could not go further than that. the legal standard for obstruction is precise, the person has two intentionally aim to impede an investigation, so a lot depends on

president trump's motive, was he trying to shut down the best occasion or was there something else in comey‘s conduct that irritated tim cross jamaat it is complicated further by the fact that some people feel that the director can be fired for the purpose of shutting down an investigation because that is part of his costa juice no authority. it isa of his costa juice no authority. it is a mixture of legaljudgment that will become legal ones if the special prosecutor recommends that obstruction may have occurred and congress will have to decide whether that cottages and impeachable offence —— constitutes an impeachable offence. it hinges on those words, i hope you can do this. james comey said he took it as i direction —— as a direction and others are saying that maybe it was an observation, he hoped it but it

isn't the same as an order. that's right and these are the kind of difficult contacts that obstruction cases turn on all the time. is that obstruction, is it, as alan dershowitz said, a mafia don saying that i hope something will happen or is it just that i hope something will happen or is itjust a suggestion that the director is free to ignore? if it we re director is free to ignore? if it were a criminal charge, a jury would have to make a decision. this will never go to a criminaljury, so it is even more complicated. it will be important. striking that we didn't learn anything new from the testimony. director miller and his investigation may be under pressure. thank you forjoining us. president of the national cost of tuition centre talking to us from la. —— constitution centre. across the country, people are casting their votes in the general election,

nearly 47 million voters registered to ta ke nearly 47 million voters registered to take part and polling stations are open until 10pm. the main party leaders have been out casting their vote. casting her vote and waiting for millions of you to do the same. theresa may and her husband, philip, out visiting their local polling station. a short time laterjeremy corbyn had a smile and a thumbs up as he arrived to cast his ballot near his home in north london. all around the uk other party leaders are doing the same. the snp‘s nicola sturgeon, ukip's paul nuttall and eco—leader of the greens, caroline lucas. the liberal democrats' tim farron and plaid cymru, leanne wood, going to the polls, ending 50 days of debating, arguing and persuading that was twice halted following the terrorist attacks in london and manchester. last time round, a windmill,

a launderette and even a kitchen were pressed into service, transformed into polling stations for the day. 68 different parties are vying for votes this time around with a total field of more than 3300 candidates. we'll elect mps from 650 constituencies across the uk. 533 in england, a0 in wales, 59 in scotland and 18 in northern ireland. the polls close at 10pm tonight, with the exit poll immediately afterwards giving a hint of how things may have gone. the first seat is expected to declare a little before 11pm, the results will then stack up overnight with the full results on friday. and a look at the weather for the rest of today and the weekend. we have had a lot of cloud and rain for many parts of the country but not

everywhere. this was kent, a few hours ago from one of our weather watchers, so some clear skies this evening. also plenty of showers in england and wales. persistent rain in northern ireland and laterfor scotla nd in northern ireland and laterfor scotland overnight. plenty of showers in western parts of england, wales and the rain for scotland first thing tomorrow. tomorrow will bea first thing tomorrow. tomorrow will be a better day in terms of amounts of sunshine, less breezy but there will be some scattered showers working their way from west to east as we go through the day. perhaps some fund it in with heavy showers. temperatures, 22 degrees. looking like a better day than today. saturday, some rain across northern and western parts of the country in particular, the south—east mostly dry, some rightness in northern ireland and they looks like sunshine and scattered showers —— some brightness. donald trump's white house

of lying about him. he was fired by the president, saying the fbi was in disarray — now james comey hits back. the administration then chose to defame me, and more importantly, the fbi. those were lies, plain and simple. also on tonight's programme — three more arrests in the london bridge terror investigation. new cctv footage shows the attackers meeting at a gym five days before they killed eight innocent people. the moment armed police ended their rampage — opening fire as they arrived at the scene. they have responded and neutralised the threat as firearms officers within six seconds. i think that is kind of exceptional to the