Comfort in the spotlight

If it looks as if Mr. Comey is comfortable being publicly grilled by a panel of senators, that’s because he has done it a lot. And he has a reputation for making newsworthy statements during such hearings — when he wants to.

For example, when he testified in March, he confirmed that the F.B.I. was investigating whether members of Mr. Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia to influence the election. His testimony publicly rebutted Mr. Trump, who had insisted that “Russia is fake news.”

Then, when Mr. Comey testified in early May, just before being fired, he revealed that his decision to reopen the Clinton investigation and the thought that it could have altered the election’s outcome made him “mildly nauseous.”

For days, there was speculation that Mr. Trump might invoke executive privilege and prevent Mr. Comey from testifying, but White House officials said Monday that the president would not take that step.

How the relationship got to ‘You’re fired’

Once Mr. Trump was in office, Mr. Comey was summoned to the White House on a January night for dinner, which Mr. Comey recounts in his prepared remarks for Thursday’s testimony. During the one-on-one meal in the Green Room, the president asked for a pledge of loyalty, to no avail.

A few days earlier, Mr. Comey, who has long prided himself on remaining impartial, went so far as to try to blend into the White House drapery during a ceremony with law enforcement officials so that cameras would not capture any interaction that appeared too friendly.