Sen. Mark Warner Mark Robert WarnerFBI director casts doubt on concerns over mail-in voting fraud Democrats call for declassifying election threats after briefing by Trump officials It's time to upgrade benefits MORE (Va.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, will call President Trump’s firing of former FBI Director James Comey “utterly shocking” in his opening statement on Thursday.

“The way in which you were fired by the president is utterly shocking,” Warner will say, according to his prepared remarks.

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Warner adds that Trump's behavior needs to be addressed, regardless of the outcome of the investigation into possible ties between Trump's campaign and Russia.

“This is not how a President of the United States behaves,” he will say.

“Regardless of the outcome of our investigation into those Russia links, Director Comey’s firing and his testimony raise separate and troubling questions that we must get to the bottom of.”

Warner’s opening statement was released just before Comey's testimony to the Senate panel.

Then former FBI chief on Wednesday released his own opening statement, in which Comey says the president said he expected Comey’s loyalty and that Trump wanted him to “lift the cloud” surrounding the Russia investigation.