UPDATE 5/19/17:

Former FBI Director James Comey has agreed to testify before the Senate intelligence committee after Memorial Day.

The committee's chairman, Sen. Richard Burr, and the ranking Democrat, Sen. Mark Warner, announced Friday that Comey will testify in an open setting before the committee. The date of the hearing has not yet been set.

Burr says the committee wants to hear from Comey on his role in the development of the U.S. intelligence agencies' assessment that Russia interfered in last year's election. He says he hopes Comey's testimony will answer some of the questions that have arisen since Comey was suddenly dismissed last week by President Donald Trump.

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ORIGINAL STORY 5/12/17:

Senate aides are stating Former FBI Director James Comey has declined to testify before the Intelligence Committee after being fired.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will brief the full Senate next week amid controversy over President Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office confirmed Friday that Rosenstein had accepted the invitation extended by Schumer and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The time and date are not yet finalized. Rosenstein wrote a memo critical of Comey that the White House initially cited as justification for Trump's firing of the FBI director.

President Donald Trump fired Comey on Tuesday.

In a statement, Trump says Comey's firing "will mark a new beginning" for the FBI. The White House says the search for a new FBI director will begin immediately.

Comey's firing comes days after he testified on Capitol Hill about the FBI's investigation into Russia's election meddling and possible connections between Russia and Trump's campaign.

Colorado U.S. Senator and Democrat Michael Bennet issued the following statement after Comey was fired: