This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/09/trump-comey-leaker-senate-testimony
The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump lawyers to file complaint against 'leaker' James Comey | Donald Trump lawyers to file complaint against 'leaker' James Comey |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Donald Trump called his former FBI director a “leaker” on Friday, one day after James Comey testified under oath that the president lied about his firing and the FBI in an effort to undermine the agency’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. | Donald Trump called his former FBI director a “leaker” on Friday, one day after James Comey testified under oath that the president lied about his firing and the FBI in an effort to undermine the agency’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. |
| Trump’s legal team was confirmed to be preparing to file a complaint against Comey, for sharing his memos of meetings with the president with the New York Times. | Trump’s legal team was confirmed to be preparing to file a complaint against Comey, for sharing his memos of meetings with the president with the New York Times. |
| “Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication ... and WOW, Comey is a leaker!” Trump tweeted in his first public comments on Thursday’s Senate intelligence committee hearing, bringing to a close an unusually prolonged silence for a president whose first line of defense is often expressed in 140 characters or less. | “Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication ... and WOW, Comey is a leaker!” Trump tweeted in his first public comments on Thursday’s Senate intelligence committee hearing, bringing to a close an unusually prolonged silence for a president whose first line of defense is often expressed in 140 characters or less. |
| Trump appeared to be accusing Comey of lying to Congress in a hearing that was watched across the country. After Comey’s testimony, Trump’s lawyer Marc Kasowitz said in a brief statement to the press the former FBI director had “admitted that he unilaterally and surreptitiously made unauthorised disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the president”. | Trump appeared to be accusing Comey of lying to Congress in a hearing that was watched across the country. After Comey’s testimony, Trump’s lawyer Marc Kasowitz said in a brief statement to the press the former FBI director had “admitted that he unilaterally and surreptitiously made unauthorised disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the president”. |
| The legal complaint will be filed with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Justice early next week, according to a source close to the legal team who did not want to speak on the record before the complaint was filed. | The legal complaint will be filed with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Justice early next week, according to a source close to the legal team who did not want to speak on the record before the complaint was filed. |
| The legal team will also send a complaint to the Senate judiciary committee regarding Comey’s testimony before that panel last month – as well as his testimony before the intelligence committee – to clarify on the record what Trump’s legal team views as discrepancies and falsehoods in the displaced FBI director’s testimony. | The legal team will also send a complaint to the Senate judiciary committee regarding Comey’s testimony before that panel last month – as well as his testimony before the intelligence committee – to clarify on the record what Trump’s legal team views as discrepancies and falsehoods in the displaced FBI director’s testimony. |
| Richard Painter, a White House ethics counsel under George W Bush, said such an action would only amplify the notion that Trump was trying to impede the investigation. “Trying to get DOJ to go after Comey – a material witness – over ‘leak’ is yet more obstruction of Justice,” he tweeted. | |
| At least one Democratic senator, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, suggested Trump should now testify before Congress himself, to offer his account of the interactions with Comey now in dispute. “This is not just another silly tweet,” Schatz tweeted. “… It is essential for our country that the president offer his testimony to Congress about what exactly happened.” | At least one Democratic senator, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, suggested Trump should now testify before Congress himself, to offer his account of the interactions with Comey now in dispute. “This is not just another silly tweet,” Schatz tweeted. “… It is essential for our country that the president offer his testimony to Congress about what exactly happened.” |
| Comey, who was fired by Trump on 9 May, told the Senate intelligence committee he believed the president fired him over his handling of the investigation into findings of Russian interference of the US election, which US authorities have concluded was designed to thwart Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. | Comey, who was fired by Trump on 9 May, told the Senate intelligence committee he believed the president fired him over his handling of the investigation into findings of Russian interference of the US election, which US authorities have concluded was designed to thwart Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. |
| Comey confirmed that he detailed several conversations with Trump in memos, in which the president asked him to drop his inquiry into former national security adviser Michael Flynn – saying “I hope you can let this go” – and sought a pledge of loyalty that Comey deemed inappropriate, given FBI independence. | Comey confirmed that he detailed several conversations with Trump in memos, in which the president asked him to drop his inquiry into former national security adviser Michael Flynn – saying “I hope you can let this go” – and sought a pledge of loyalty that Comey deemed inappropriate, given FBI independence. |
| Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker! | Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker! |
| In the hearing, Comey branded Trump a liar and said the president had mischaracterized their conversations to justify his abrupt dismissal. | In the hearing, Comey branded Trump a liar and said the president had mischaracterized their conversations to justify his abrupt dismissal. |
| “The administration chose to defame me and, more importantly, the FBI, by saying that the organisation was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader,” Comey said. “Those were lies, plain and simple, and I’m so sorry that the FBI workforce had to hear them, and I’m so sorry the American people were told them.” | “The administration chose to defame me and, more importantly, the FBI, by saying that the organisation was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader,” Comey said. “Those were lies, plain and simple, and I’m so sorry that the FBI workforce had to hear them, and I’m so sorry the American people were told them.” |
| Comey also said he told Trump on three occasions he was not personally under investigation. Federal investigators have cautioned that their inquiry into contacts between Trump and Moscow remains inconclusive, but Trump’s lawyers and supporters nonetheless seized on that piece of information to claim the president had been cleared of wrongdoing. | Comey also said he told Trump on three occasions he was not personally under investigation. Federal investigators have cautioned that their inquiry into contacts between Trump and Moscow remains inconclusive, but Trump’s lawyers and supporters nonetheless seized on that piece of information to claim the president had been cleared of wrongdoing. |
| Comey also suggested that Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed in the wake of Comey’s firing to take over the Russia inquiry, was investigating whether Trump’s actions amounted to obstruction of justice. | Comey also suggested that Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed in the wake of Comey’s firing to take over the Russia inquiry, was investigating whether Trump’s actions amounted to obstruction of justice. |
| “It’s my judgment that I was fired because of the Russia investigation,” Comey said. “I was fired in some way to change, or the endeavor was to change, the way the Russia investigation was being conducted. That is a very big deal.” | “It’s my judgment that I was fired because of the Russia investigation,” Comey said. “I was fired in some way to change, or the endeavor was to change, the way the Russia investigation was being conducted. That is a very big deal.” |
| Comey said he asked a friend, a member of the law department of Columbia University, to give to the New York Times details of his memos about his interactions with Trump, “because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel”. Mueller, a former FBI director, was appointed as special counsel on 17 May. | Comey said he asked a friend, a member of the law department of Columbia University, to give to the New York Times details of his memos about his interactions with Trump, “because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel”. Mueller, a former FBI director, was appointed as special counsel on 17 May. |
| Comey explained that he documented each meeting with Trump because he thought the president might be dishonest about what transpired. | Comey explained that he documented each meeting with Trump because he thought the president might be dishonest about what transpired. |
| “I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting, and so I thought it really important to document,” he said of their first conversation at Trump Tower in New York in January. | “I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting, and so I thought it really important to document,” he said of their first conversation at Trump Tower in New York in January. |
| On Friday, Trump is due to face the media in a scheduled a joint news conference with the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis. | On Friday, Trump is due to face the media in a scheduled a joint news conference with the Romanian president, Klaus Iohannis. |
| He issued a second tweet just before 7am, writing about what is reportedly his favored morning show: “Great reporting by @foxandfriends and so many others. Thank you!” | He issued a second tweet just before 7am, writing about what is reportedly his favored morning show: “Great reporting by @foxandfriends and so many others. Thank you!” |