President Donald Trump, asked Friday if tapes exist of his private conversations with former FBI Director James Comey, told reporters they’ll be “disappointed” with his answer.
“I’ll tell you about that sometime, maybe in the very near future,” Trump said at a press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House.
The president also asserted that “some of the things” Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday “weren’t true,” but called on another reporter without elaborating.
“In the meantime, no collusion, no obstruction, he’s a leaker but we want to get back to running our great country,” Trump said, reiterating his position that his campaign had not colluded with Russians seeking to influence the election and that he had not attempted to obstruct justice in his conversations with the then-FBI Director Comey.
Shortly after firing Comey last month, Trump tweeted a warning to Comey not to leak anything negative abut him and that he “better hope” that there are no secret “tapes” of their conversations — but it has not been established whether any of the conversations of the two were actually recorded.
Comey, testifying Thursday before the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he would welcome the release of recordings that Comey believed might corroborate his account of his conversations with Trump seeking to shut down the Russia inquiry. “Lordy, we hope there are tapes,” Comey said.
Comey also admitted during Thursday’s testimony that he facilitated the leak of a memo of his Trump conversation in an attempt to spark the naming of a special counsel to lead the Justice Department’s investigation into whether Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia during the election. The gambit worked, and former FBI head Robert Mueller was named to lead the inquiry.
In his press conference, Trump sought to provide a positive spin on Comey’s testimony.
“Yesterday showed no collusion, no obstruction. We are doing really well. That was an excuse by the Democrats who lost an election that some people think they shouldn’t have lost,” Trump said. “It was just an excuse but we were very, very happy. Frankly, James Comey confirmed a lot of what I said.”
Asked if tapes exist of his conversations with Comey, Pres. Trump says: "I'll tell you about that sometime, maybe in the very near future." pic.twitter.com/wOibLiwd5K
James Comey Timeline: Events That Led to FBI Director's Firing (Photos)
For the first time since 1993, a U.S. president has fired a director of the FBI. Comey's final year as head of the Bureau before his dismissal Tuesday was wrought with controversy, as Democrats and Republicans alike criticized him for his handling of the FBI's investigations into Hillary Clinton's emails and possible connections between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. Here's how we got to this point:
Getty Images
July 2013: Disgraced former NY Congressman Anthony Weiner sees his campaign for New York mayor derailed when screenshots of explicit conversations between him and several women are leaked. His wife, Huma Abedin, who was deputy chief of staff to Hillary Clinton while she was Secretary of State, stands by him.
Getty Images
September 2013: President Barack Obama appoints James Comey as FBI Director. Comey served as U.S. Deputy Attorney General from 2003-2005 and had worked in the intervening years at Lockheed Martin and HSBC, among other private sector jobs.
April 2015: Hillary Clinton announces her campaign for the president just weeks after The New York Times reported that she used a personal email server as Secretary of State. Abedin is named vice-chairwoman of her campaign.
July 2016: After investigating Clinton's emails, Comey announces that the FBI does not recommend charging Clinton in connection to the personal server. Two days later, Comey is questioned by a Republican-led House Committee about his recommendation.
August 2016: Anthony Weiner and Huma Abedin announce their separation after reports surface that Weiner had sent explicit text messages to another woman.
September 2016: Reports surface that Weiner had sent illicit text messages to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina, prompting a federal investigation. During the investigation, authorities seize a laptop belonging to Weiner and Abedin.
Oct. 28, 2016: Comey sends a letter to Congress informing members that Abedin's laptop may contain emails linked to the Clinton investigation. Clinton calls on the FBI to release all the information they have.
Nov. 6, 2016: Comey writes another letter saying that nothing new was found on Abedin's laptop, with Newsweek reporting that most of the emails found were ones forwarded by Abedin so she could print them. Two days after Comey sends the second letter, Hillary Clinton loses the presidential election to Donald Trump.
March 2017: Comey reveals during a House Intelligence Committee hearing that the FBI is performing an investigation into possible connections between the Kremlin and members of Trump's campaign.
May 3, 2017: Comey testifies in Congress again, this time before a Senate Committee about the details of the FBI's investigation into Clinton's email server. He says that Abedin had forwarded "forwarded hundreds and thousands of emails, some of which contain classified information" to Weiner to print out of convenience.
May 9, 2017: ProPublica and the Associated Press report that Comey had exaggerated the number of emails found in the laptop and that none of the emails were classified when sent. Later that day, Comey is fired from his position by Donald Trump.
1 of 12
Comey’s four-year tenure as FBI director ends 10 months after recommending Hillary Clinton not be charged for his email investigation
For the first time since 1993, a U.S. president has fired a director of the FBI. Comey's final year as head of the Bureau before his dismissal Tuesday was wrought with controversy, as Democrats and Republicans alike criticized him for his handling of the FBI's investigations into Hillary Clinton's emails and possible connections between Donald Trump's campaign and Russia. Here's how we got to this point:
Getty Images
Getty Images
