Comey’s memos out in open
Says documents show no obstruction of justice or Russia collusion
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump had expressed concerns about his first national security advisor Michael Flynn’s judgement, spoken several times about the “golden shower thing” and “hookers”, and complained about the “cloud” of the Russia investigation, according to notes kept by former FBI chief James Comey.
The memos also showed Trump had actively pursued Comey to “getting out that he personally is not under investigation”. As is well known now, Trump had referred to the investigation of Flynn’s Russia contacts and said, “I hope you can let this go.”
In one of the memos, Comey wrote Trump had recounted for him a conversation in which Russian president Vladimir Putin told the real estate tycoon that “we have some of the most beautiful hookers in the world”.
The department of justice handed over redacted copies of the memos, running into 15 pages, to three committees of the House of Representatives.
Trump responded to the release of the memos by tweeting that they “show clearly that there was NO COLLUSION and NO OBSTRUCTION. Also, he leaked classified information. WOW! Will the Witch Hunt continue?”
In one memo from last January, Comey wrote Trump had been extremely annoyed with Flynn for a delay in returning a congratulatory phone call from a world leader in the days after his inauguration. “In telling the story, the President pointed his fingers at his head and said, ‘the guy has serious judgment issues’.” The names of the leader and the country were redacted.
Flynn figures in another memo, in which, after he was fired, Trump conveyed to Comey to “let go” of the Russia investigation against his former NSA.
Flynn has since pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
There is a previously unreported exchange in which Trump vented his frustration over leaks.
“I was eager to find leakers and would like to nail one to the door as a message,” Comey wrote, recalling that conversation. “I said something about it being difficult and he replied that we need to go after the reporters.”
Their first conversation about “the golden shower thing” was at the Trump Tower meeting, when Comey told Trump of the dossier put together by former British spy Christopher Steele. It alleged Trump paid prostitutes in his hotel room in Moscow in 2014 to urinate on themselves and the bed once used by Barack Obama. Trump dismissed this outright, saying he is a germophobe.
DEMOCRATS SUE TRUMP CAMPAIGN, RUSSIA
The Democratic National Committee has filed a lawsuit against the Russian government, the Trump campaign and Wikileaks, alleging they conspired to obstruct the 2016 election to tilt the outcome in favour of Trump.
The lawsuit filed in a Manhattan court alleged top Trump campaign officials conspired with Russian government officials and its military intelligence agency to hurt Hillary Clinton by hacking into DNC’S computer network.