Comey's written testimony released

(RNN) - Former FBI Director James Comey, who was suddenly fired last May by President Donald Trump, will tell his side of the story to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday in the most dramatic moment yet in the inquiry into the Trump campaign and Russia.

Comey released his opening statement Wednesday, which summarizes his meetings and phone calls with President Donald Trump.

TO READ THE ENTIRE SEVEN-PAGE MEMO GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE STORY

Here's a quick review of the backstory, and what you might expect when the hearing gets underway:

Where can I watch?

Where can't you watch? All the networks and the news channels will be showing it live, along with live streams available online. The hearing begins at 10 a.m. ET.

Bloomberg News is partnering with Twitter to bring a free live stream if you can't get away from your desk to watch.

Who is James Comey?

Comey was the director of the FBI until May when President Donald Trump fired him. As a point of distinction: Comey did not resign and was not "asked to resign." He was outright fired, only learning about it from a news report while on an FBI business trip in Los Angeles.

He was almost four years into his 10-year term.

The president can fire the FBI director, right?

Yes, but the circumstances around the firing raised concerns with lawmakers, even some of Trump's fellow Republicans. Comey told the House Intelligence Committee in March that the FBI was investigating Russia's meddling in the 2016 election, the nature of any links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, "and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts."

The president referenced the Russia probe in Comey's dismissal letter, saying the FBI director had told him on three separate occasions that he was not under investigation. Comey confirmed that in his statement, but he said they hadn't made that public because "it would create a duty to correct, should that change."

There have also been reports that Trump told Russian officials that Comey was a "nutjob."

Did Trump fire him to stop or slow down the investigation?

The first explanation from the Trump administration was that the firing was based on the recommendation of the Justice Department, namely Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein criticized Comey for unfair treatment of Trump's former rival, Clinton, during the email server investigation.

But Trump said two days later that he was going to fire Comey "regardless of recommendation."

"I was going to fire Comey, knowing there was no good time to do it," he told NBC's Lester Holt. "And in fact, when I decided to just do it, I said to myself - I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story. It's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should've won."

Trump also said he might tweet his reactions and thoughts during the hearing.

Do Democrats like Comey?

Not really - many had called for him to step down as director.

Comey is the same guy who, in a July news conference, recommended no charges against then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. He said that while there was no clear evidence of intent to violate laws with her use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, she and her team were "extremely careless" in their handling of classified material.

He then sent a letter to Congress on Oct. 28, 11 days before the election, saying the Clinton investigation had been reopened with the discovery of additional emails. They were found on the computer of former Congressman Anthony Weiner who was under investigation for explicit online communications while he was married to top Clinton aide Huma Abedin.

Two days before the election, Comey followed up with a letter saying the emails had not changed the previous conclusion of no charges. However, Clinton and others have blamed Comey for being at least partly responsible for her loss.

What is the investigation concerning Russia and how is it tied to Flynn?

There are multiple investigations looking into how Russian intelligence may have interfered with the 2016 presidential election. Comey is only publicly testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Other concurrent investigations are going on in the House Intelligence Committee, the House Oversight Committee and the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on crime and terrorism.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is conducting the main investigation, which supplanted the Justice Department's original probe when Trump fired Comey.

Mueller, as a part of the Justice Department's investigation, still answers to the Rosenstein, but he does have some manner of independence, including the ability to hire staff from outside the government. Though Trump can fire him at any time, the political ramifications of firing a nonpartisan, special counsel are likely to deter him from doing so even if he wanted to.

The committee Comey will appear before is particularly interested in Flynn's ties with Russian officials. The former national security adviser offered to testify before the committee in exchange for immunity, but the Senate denied his request. Flynn later invoked the Fifth Amendment when issued a subpoena by the committee.

Flynn's work as a foreign agent after retiring is also under investigation, as well as his appearance on Russian Today, a state-owned media outlet often referred to as a producer of propaganda by U.S. intelligence.

Additionally, the national security adviser's meeting with Sergey Kislyak, which the White House said led to Flynn's resignation, is a subject of investigation.

HERE IS COMEY'S OPENING STATEMENT, RELEASED WEDNESDAY:

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