Preet Bharara, a former U.S. attorney who was fired by President Trump earlier this year, slammed the president Wednesday for his alleged attempts to intervene in FBI Director James Comey's Russia investigation, calling Trump both "wrong" and "dumb".

"Obstruction aside, it's NEVER ok for a POTUS privately to ask an FBI Director to drop a criminal investigation. Extraordinary, wrong & dumb," Bharara tweeted Wednesday afternoon, Senate Intelligence Committee released Comey's opening statement.

Obstruction aside, it's NEVER ok for a POTUS privately to ask an FBI Director to drop a criminal investigation. Extraordinary, wrong & dumb. https://t.co/Axwjoaw8F7 — Preet Bharara (@PreetBharara) June 7, 2017

A copy of Comey's opening statement — which he is expected to read while testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday — was released Wednesday afternoon. In the statement, the former FBI Director confirms reports that the president asked him to drop his investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Comey will also say Thursday that Trump asked him for his loyalty.

ADVERTISEMENT

Trump fired Comey last month amid an ongoing investigation into Russia's interference in the presidential election. The abrupt decision shook Washington D.C., leading many to question the president's timing and the motives for Comey's dismisal.

Bharara, who oversaw top legal cases for the Southern District of New York, previously warned that "everyone" should be concerned by Trump's decision to fire Comey in May.

Bharara was one of the 46 attorneys Trump fired after taking office. His dismissal in March came as a shock; he had previously and publicly said Trump asked him to remain in his role after the election concluded.