Trump admits he has no tapes of conversations with ex-FBI chief
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has suggested he was just trying to keep fired FBI director James Comey honest with his cryptic tweet implying there might be recordings of their private conversations.
Mr Trump ended a month-long guessing game on Thursday by tweeting that he never made and does not have recordings of his private conversations with Mr Comey.
In an interview that aired on Friday on Fox & Friends, Mr Trump said: “When he found out that I, you know, that there may be tapes out there, whether it’s governmental tapes or anything else, and who knows, I think his story may have changed.”
Asked if he was trying to keep Mr Comey honest, Mr Trump added: “It wasn’t very stupid, I can tell you that. He was – he did admit that what I said was right.”
The tapes saga began in May, just days after Mr Trump fired Mr Comey, who was then leading an investigation into Trump associates’ ties to Russian officials.
Mr Trump has disputed Mr Comey’s version of a January dinner during which, according to Mr Comey, the President asked for a pledge of loyalty.
Mr Trump responded at that time, via Twitter, that Mr Comey “better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!”
Mr Trump, in the Fox News Channel interview, did not say exactly what he thought had changed about Mr Comey’s story.
The former FBI director has only offered his story publicly once, in testimony before the Senate intelligence committee, although his associates provided some details to the news media before that.
Mr Comey testified that he had told the President in multiple conversations he was not personally under federal investigation and said the President implored him to make that public.
Mr Trump has seized on that statement as vindication, though the investigation continues, as do congressional inquiries.
Thursday’s revelation came a day ahead of a deadline to turn over any tapes to the House intelligence committee.