Senate panel meets with special counsel in Russia probe

WASHINGTON (AP) — The special counsel appointed to investigate Russian influence in the 2016 presidential campaign has met with the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee in an effort to ensure their investigations don't conflict.

[...] Wednesday, Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley said his panel will investigate the removal of former FBI Director James Comey and "any alleged improper partisan interference in law enforcement investigations."

Grassley said Comey's dismissal and Comey's testimony on Lynch should be looked at together, noting that Comey "took the opportunity in his testimony to clear his own name by denouncing as false the administration's claims that the FBI rank-and-file had lost confidence in Mr. Comey's leadership in the wake of the Clinton email investigation."