Eyes glued to TV sets around San Francisco as Comey testifies

Bar managers, hoteliers and waiters rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and flicked television sets on in their San Francisco establishments as patrons filed in early Thursday for one of the most anticipated congressional inquiries in years.

Across the city, residents and visitors tuned in, glued to the screens, waiting to hear what secrets Comey would reveal — secrets that might implicate the president in Russia’s attempts to influence the election that got him to the White House.

Lattery was perched at the Corner Bakery Cafe at 665 Market St., devouring an egg and avocado sandwich, monitoring the closed captioning of the hearing that was playing on mute on three overhead TVs.

Morning commuters trickled in and out of the bakery, drying off their umbrellas, as they stepped in to grab a coffee to go.

Slavin fixed himself a waffle in the basement breakfast room of Hampton Inn San Francisco Downtown Convention Center on Mission Street.

Television sets blared throughout the hotel lobby and breakfast room with the news shortly before Comey sat to start his testimony.

“I guess this means my soap opera isn't going to come on,” she said, begrudgingly watching Comey raise his right hand as he was sworn in.

Dan Ikeda, of New York City, peeled a muffin out of its wrapping as he glanced briefly at the television screens in the Hampton Inn.

[...] just as Ikeda was commenting, Comey dropped a bombshell, saying the reasons the White House gave for firing him, and its description of the FBI as being in “disarray” under his leadership, were “lies, plain and simple.”

“I believe Comey, he’s got more credibility than a reality TV star (Trump) ... it will take a while before we see the outcome of all this,” Malina said.

To hear that Comey felt it was necessary to take detailed notes of his conversations with Trump wasn’t a reassuring way to think of the president.