(CNN) Former FBI Director James Comey has filed a motion in federal court in Washington to quash a congressional subpoena issued just before Thanksgiving soliciting his testimony on the FBI's actions leading up to the 2016 election.

Comey has said previously that he would be willing to testify publicly, but did not want to do it behind closed doors.

In Thursday's filing, his lawyers argue that the House Judiciary and Oversight committees "have conducted an investigation in a manner that exceeds a proper legislative purpose insofar as members of the committees have established a practice of selectively leaking witnesses' testimony in order to support a false political narrative, while subjecting witnesses to a variety of abuse."

"Mr. Comey asks this Court's intervention not to avoid giving testimony but to prevent the Joint Committee from using the pretext of a closed interview to peddle a distorted, partisan political narrative about the Clinton and Russian investigations through selective leaks," his lawyers added in court papers.

The House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed Comey to appear behind closed doors on Monday.

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