Former FBI Director James Comey has reached a deal to testify privately to the House Judiciary Committee, backing off his legal fight for an open hearing, his attorney said Sunday.

Comey, whose lawyers went to court to challenge a congressional subpoena, said in a tweet that it was �hard to protect my rights without being in contempt.�

As part of a deal with legislators, Comey has been told that he is free to speak about the questioning afterward and that a transcript would be released 24 hours after he testifies, his attorney, David Kelley, said.

Comey�s lawyers told a federal judge on Friday that the interview should be done in a public setting because they fear that statements from a closed-door interview would be selectively leaked. A lawyer for Congress, however, argued that committees can conduct investigations however they please and Comey had no right to refuse a subpoena or demand a public hearing.

Comey is expected to be questioned about decisions made by the FBI in 2016, including a call not to recommend criminal charges against Democrat Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server and the FBI�s investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Republican Donald Trump�s campaign. Trump fired Comey in May 2017.

The interview is scheduled for Friday and Comey will be �free to make any or all of that transcript public as he is free to share with the public any of the questions asked and testimony given during the interview,� Kelley said.

Because of the deal, Comey has agreed to withdraw his challenge to the subpoena. A judge had been set to rule on the matter on Monday.

The Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, decried Comey�s use of �baseless litigation� and called it an �attempt to run out the clock on this Congress,� a reference to the few weeks left before Democrats take control.

A transcript of the interview will be released �as soon as possible after the interview, in the name of our combined desire for transparency,� Goodlatte said.

(AP)