President Donald Trump will be addressing a religious conference during the highly anticipated testimony of former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday.
The Faith & Freedom Coalition, a conservative religious group, confirmed on Tuesday that Trump will speak at 11:30 a.m. Comey's testimony will be happening at the same time. The event, Road to Majority, will be held from Thursday to Saturday at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.
It is possible Trump's speech will simply be a break time between tweets. A Washington Post reporter, Robert Costa, told MSNBC on Tuesday that Trump will directly respond to Comey on Twitter. Trump, said Costa, "wants to be the messenger, his own warrior, his own lawyer, his own spokesman."
Other scheduled speakers at the Faith & Freedom Coalition event include Vice President Mike Pence, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Texas Senator Ted Cruz. The Road to Majority agenda includes meetings on criminal justice reform; efforts to end human trafficking; and legalizing marijuana. There is also an event named "Socialism: Perspectives From Immigrants."
Related: Comey testimony will determine if Trump obstructed justice, says prosecutor
Comey will be testifying in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Trump fired Comey last month; since then, investigations have intensified into the role Russia played in the 2016 U.S. elections; Trump reportedly tried to end the FBI's investigation into Russia. Following Comey's public testimony on Thursday, he will participate in a closed-door discussion on classified matters.
Raleph Reed, president of the Faith & Freedom Coaltion, is a staunch Trump defender. However, a report published over the weekend indicated that Trump demonstrated he did not understand the difference between various Christian denominations while hosting religious leaders earlier this year. Ahead of his inauguration in January, Trump, who is a Presbyterian, prayed with two Christian ministers at Trump Tower in New York City. Neither of the men was evangelical, so Trump had to double check that both men were Christians.
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