FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 3, 2017, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing: "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation." (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

FBI Director James Comey testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 3, 2017, before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing: "Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation." (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on FBI Director James Comey’s appearance Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee (all times EDT):

12:25 p.m.

FBI Director James Comey is condemning the secret-spilling website WikiLeaks and says he doesn’t see its work as similar to journalism.

He says he believes a large portion of WikiLeaks’ work “has nothing to do with legitimate newsgathering.” He likened what the website does to “intelligence porn.”

Comey says he believes WikiLeaks will push out information to damage the United States. But he says responsible journalists with sensitive information will approach the FBI before publication to make sure that the news won’t put people’s lives in danger.

WikiLeaks last year published emails from Democratic email accounts that U.S. intelligence officials believe were hacked by Russia.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange tweeted in response that Comey misled the Senate when he said WikiLeaks doesn’t inform the FBI it is about to publish sensitive information. Assange said on Twitter: “We did” about the records on CIA hacking tools and “I know he knows it.”

ADVERTISEMENT

__

12:20 p.m.

The top Democrat on the House intelligence committee says FBI Director James Comey’s explanation for why he disclosed details about the Hillary Clinton email investigation is a “poor characterization” of the choice.

Rep. Adam Schiff, of California, said Comey’s decisions to talk publicly about the Clinton probe and not say anything about the Trump investigation was a violation of FBI policy.

Comey told the Senate Judiciary committee that he acted consistently when he disclosed to Congress that the bureau was investigating new material related to the Clinton email probe, yet did not disclose last year that the FBI was investigating President Donald Trump’s campaign and possible coordination with the Russians.

__

11:45 a.m.

The head of the FBI says Russia is still involved in American politics.

Director James Comey during questioning by the Senate Judiciary Committee agreed that Russia provides safe haven for cyber criminals. When asked by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, Comey said that he does believe Russia is still involved in American politics.

The questions came as the South Carolina lawmaker pressed Comey on the dangers that Russia poses and could pose both to the U.S. and other nations.

The FBI is investigating the possibility of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russia. Comey also says Russia is responsible for hacking the Democratic National Committee.

President Donald Trump has raised doubts about those assertions. Russian officials also have denied involvement.

ADVERTISEMENT

__

11:15 a.m.

FBI Director James Comey is maintaining that he did not treat disclosures about investigations into Hillary Clinton’s emails and potential connections between the Trump campaign and Russia differently.

Comey is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday about a variety of issues involving the FBI.

Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy said Comey went public just before the election to talk about reopening the Clinton email case, but did not reveal the investigation into the Trump campaign.

Comey says both cases were treated consistently. He says he only told lawmakers about the reopening of the Clinton email investigation because he had testified before Congress that the probe had been closed. Comey says that other than revealing the Trump investigation exists, no other information would be discussed until it is closed.

__

11:05 a.m.

FBI Director James Comey is strongly defending his decision to alert Congress that agents were revisiting the Hillary Clinton email investigation less than two weeks before the November election.

Comey tells the Senate Judiciary Committee that he concluded it would have been “catastrophic” to have concealed that development from Congress.

What led the FBI to revisit the investigation was the discovery of thousands of emails on a laptop belonging to the former congressman who was married to a top Clinton aide.

Comey says it made him — in his words — “mildly nauseous” to think he might’ve had an influence on the 2016 election, as many Democrats believe. But he says politics can’t influence the FBI’s decision-making.

Comey’s comments Wednesday are his most extensive about his actions from October in the email case.

___

10:45 a.m.

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says “there has been a lot of controversy” surrounding the FBI.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa has told FBI Director James Comey at the start of an oversight hearing that the public’s faith in the bureau had been tested lately.

Grassley is pressing for answers about the FBI’s investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Comey disclosed the existence of that investigation when he testified at a hearing in March.

The committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, wants Comey to explain the differences how the FBI handled its investigation into the Trump campaign and an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server.