Trump: I Am Willing to Testify Under Oath About My Conversations with Comey

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, reacted on Friday to the testimony of former FBI Director James Comee in Congress, calling him a "leaker," rejecting his statements, and emphasizing that he is willing to testify under oath about his conversations with Mr. Comey. After Comey accused the President of lying and obstructing the investigation into his former National Security Advisor, Trump described Comey as a "leaker" and insisted he feels justified. On Friday, Trump initially broke his silence in a Twitter message, emphasizing points made by his private attorney; that he is not personally the subject of the investigation and that Comey shared the substance of his conversations with the President through a lawyer with some media. In this context, Trump tweeted, "Despite many false statements and lies, I feel completely justified. And wow, Comey is a leaker," although he did not claim that Comey lied after taking an oath. The U.S. President later reiterated in a press conference with the President of Romania that he considers Comey a "leaker," and his testimony in Congress shows that "there was no collusion and no obstruction [of justice]." He also stated that he never asked Comey to pledge loyalty to him and would discuss this with Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Trump also emphasized that he never asked the former FBI Director to stop the investigation into his former National Security Advisor, Michael Flynn. He added that he is willing to testify under oath about his conversations with James Comey. Meanwhile, during part of this press conference, when Trump was asked about the possibility of a recording of his conversations with Comey, he vaguely stated that if he answered such a question, "you would be disappointed." James Comey, in his testimony to the Senate Security Committee, accused Donald Trump of trying to obstruct the investigation into Michael Flynn's ties to Russia and added that the White House attempted to discredit him. Comey also welcomed the release of any recordings of his conversations with the President if the White House has them. The investigation into Michael Flynn is part of the broader FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and the potential collaboration of Donald Trump's campaign with Russian officials. However, Comey did not reveal any details regarding Russian interference or the collaboration of Trump's advisors with that country in his testimony. The Russian government has consistently denied interference in this matter. The White House has also denied any collaboration between Trump's aides and Russia. Comey told the Senate committee that he took careful notes of their conversations because he was concerned that the President might lie about the content of their discussions. Comey testified that on January 26, the President told him that he expected loyalty from him and a month later asked him to stop the investigation into Michael Flynn. According to him, Donald Trump told him in a meeting on February 14, "I hope you can let this go." Mark Kazowitz, Trump's personal attorney, questioned both of Comey's statements and contrasted Comey's claims with the accuracy of Trump's claims. Susan Collins, a Republican senator, stated in an interview with CNN on Friday that Comey might be mistaken in recalling those conversations but added, "He was testifying under oath, and I believe he is an honorable person and would not intentionally lie. I think we should have more confidence in sworn testimony." Reuters reminds that the issue of Russian interference and the potential contacts of Trump's aides with officials from that country has cast a heavy shadow over Trump's presidency. The firing of James Comey a month ago caused a political storm and raised suspicions among Democrats and others that the White House and Donald Trump attempted to stop the investigations related to Russian interference. Comey told the Senate committee that he released a non-classified memo of his conversations with Donald Trump in February regarding Michael Flynn in the hope of leading to the appointment of a special counsel to oversee the investigations. Following the news of this memo in May, the U.S. Department of Justice appointed Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, as special counsel to lead these investigations. Trump's personal attorney attacked Comey for leaking what he described as "privileged information." However, some experts believe that Trump's private conversations with Comey cannot be considered "privileged information." Apparently, Trump's attorney is set to file a lawsuit against Comey next week for leaking this information. He will submit this complaint to the Department of Justice's Inspector General and will also provide copies of this complaint and another objection to the Senate Judiciary and Security Committees. Comey's testimony has strengthened critics' claims that Donald Trump's actions regarding the investigations into Russian interference constitute obstruction of justice. Senator Collins stated that in her opinion, Donald Trump does not understand the boundaries between the White House and the FBI. She added in part of her interview with CNN, "This is completely wrong, and in my opinion, it is worse than inappropriate behavior. For the President of the United States to ask or implicitly suggest to the FBI Director to stop the Russia investigation is completely illegal."