During the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey, Americans took to Google to stay informed on the past and present events that shaped this controversy in real time.
11:00 am
- Comey
- Washington Post
- Comey Testimony
- James Comey
- MSNBC
- Comey Statement
Many were looking to read about and view the hearing on sites such as the Washington Post, MSNBC, CSPAN and NPR. Others were looking to learn more about Comey and the statement that he released yesterday stating his reservations about Donald Trump while also confirming that he was not the target of a federal counterintelligence investigation into Russia’s alleged involvement in the 2016 campaign.
11:30 am
- Comey
- Comey Testimony
- James Comey
- Christopher Wray
- Comey statement
- Jeff Sessions
It was around this time that interest in the hearing dropped according to Google Trends. An interesting update from just half an hour before is the appearance of Christopher Wray in the list, whom President Trump nominated yesterday to fill Comey’s former position as FBI Director.
12:00 pm
- Comey
- Comey testimony
- James Comey
- Trump Twitter
- Christopher Wray
- Donald Trump Twitter
As the hearing launched into its third hour the top six trending queries mostly stayed the same. Some interest appeared as to what President Trump might be thinking in the wake of the allegations lodged against him by Comey. While his sons have supported him very vocally on Twitter, many appeared surprised to see that Trump himself had not taken to the social media site.
It was during this half hour that former Attorney General Kamala Harris (D-CA) questioned Comey. Harris was admonished Wednesday by Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr for her relentless questioning of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
12:45
- Comey
- Comey testimony
- James Comey
- Christopher Wray
- Comey statement
- Jeff Sessions
Other items of note that people searched for during the testimony included the phrases “vindication,” “impeachment,” and “Russia.”