Aides to President Donald Trump say he will not stop James Comeyfrom speaking to members of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday.Comey is the former head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).Committee members want to question him about his talks with Trumpbefore the president ordered his dismissal.President Trump had been considering whether to say their discussions should be kept secretunder the legal doctrine of "executive privilege."In the past, other presidents have claimed executive privilegeto keep their discussions with top aides secret.But if Trump had tried to do so with Comey,it would have caused many people to think that the administration wastrying to hide information about the Russia investigation.And political observers believe courts would not have supported Trump's claim.Presidential spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reportersthe Trump administration wants a quick and complete examination of the facts.Political observers say Comey's statements to the committee could harm the president.Comey was leading the FBI investigation of Russian involvementin the 2016 elections at the time of his dismissal.He was also investigating possible illegal contactsbetween Trump campaign workers and Russian interests.The Russians are accused of helping Trump,the Republican presidential candidate,defeat the Democratic Party's candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.Speaking to a reporter, the president saidhe was thinking about the investigation into Russian involvementwhen he decided to dismiss the FBI director.Comey was in the fourth year of a 10-year termas head of the country's top criminal investigative agency.Trump has often criticized the FBI and congressional investigationsof possible Russian interference in the election.He has accused Democratic Party activists of using reports ofRussian involvement to explain Clinton's loss in the elections.A few days after Comey's dismissal, people close to him told reporters thathe kept detailed notes of his meetings with the president.They say Trump asked during one of the meetings for Comeyto promise he would be loyal to him.They said the FBI director would not do so.People close to Comey also saidTrump asked him to stop the investigation of Michael Flynn.Flynn, a retired Army general, served for just 24 daysas Trump's national security adviser before being fired in February.U.S. eavesdropping showed Flynn had lied to Vice President Mike Penceabout his contacts with Russia's ambassador to the U.S.before Trump took office in January.People close to Comey said Trump asked the FBI director to stophis investigation of Flynn the day after Flynn was dismissed.The same people have told American media that Comey believed Trumpwas trying to pressure him in an unacceptable way.Observers say Comey will probably be askedif that is true when he speaks to the Senate committee.The Department of Justice named a former FBI director -- Robert Mueller-- to lead a criminal investigation of the possible illegal contactsbetween Trump aides and Russians.That investigation has just begun.Trump opposed the decision to open such an investigation.In addition to Mueller's investigation,the Senate Intelligence Committee and three other congressional committeesare studying whether Russia interfered with the election.The investigations were launched after U.S. intelligence agencies saidthat Russians attacked the computers of the Democratic National Committee last year.They said the Russians were trying to damage Clinton's presidential campaign.Russian President Vladimir Putin has saidthere is no evidence of Russian involvement in the election.