‘We ’re unde r sie ge ,’ says pre side nt as his lawye r challe nge s testimony
DONALD TRUMP hit back yesterday at the explosive testimony of his fired FBI director James Comey, rallying his supporters and telling them: “We are under siege.”
Marc Kasowitz, his lawyer, also accused Mr Comey of lying under oath last night – stating that Mr Trump never used the words Mr Comey said.
The president refrained from tweeting during the hearing, to the evident relief of his lawyers and White House staff.
Instead, he stuck closely to the script prepared for him at the gathering of evangelical Christians at the Faith and Freedom Coalition in Washington, telling them he would never let them down.
In the speech, delivered at the same time as Mr Comey was testifying, he told his supporters: “We will come out bigger and better and stronger than ever.”
He continued: “You didn’t let me down and I will never, ever let you down, you know that. We will always support our evangelical community and defend your right and the right of all Americans to follow and to live by the teachings of their faith. And as you know, we are under siege. You understand that. But we will come out bigger and better and stronger than ever, you watch.”
Mr Trump did not make specific reference to Mr Comey, who said that Mr Trump tried to get him to pledge loyalty and drop an investigation into potential collusion with Russia by his campaign aides.
Mr Kasowitz held a press conference last night to address the testimony, seizing on the fact that Mr Comey confirmed Mr Trump was not personally under investigation, and that not one vote was altered by Russian intereference.
He denied Mr Comey’s claim that he felt pressured to end the investigation, stating: “The president never in form or substance insisted Mr Comey stop investigating anyone. The president never insisted he ‘let this go’.”
He also repeatedly referred to Mr Comey as “a leaker” and said he was intent on undermining the Trump administration. He said: “It is overwhelmingly clear that there has been, and continue to be, those in government who continue to undermine this administration. Mr Comey has now admitted he is one of these leakers.
“He unilaterally and made unauthorised leaks to the press. Friends of Mr Comey have stated that he disclosed to them the conversations he had with the president. One of those, he admitted, was classified.”
Mr Kasowitz said he expected the authorities to look into whether that was acceptable. He also noted that Mr Comey told the committee he made the memos public in response to a tweet, and added: “But the ‘New York Times’ was reporting the content of these memos the day before.”
Mr Trump also sent out his White House communications team to speak on his behalf, with Sarah Huckerbee Sanders rebutting Mr Comey’s claims.
“I can definitively say the president is not a liar,” said Mrs Sanders, speaking to reporters during an off-camera briefing at the White House.
“I think it is frankly insulting that question would be asked.”
She would not say whether the White House has a taping system that might have recorded Mr Trump’s talks with Mr Comey – something Mr Trump stated as a threat, but an idea Mr Comey welcomed yesterday.
Meanwhile, Iran has denounced Mr Trump’s response to the Tehran attack as “repugnant”, after the US president implied that the country brought the attack on itself by supporting other terrorist groups.
Hours after gunmen from Isil struck in the Iranian capital on Wednesday, the White House issued a statement mixing sympathy with a rebuke. “We grieve and pray for the innocent victims of the terrorist attacks in Iran, and for the Iranian people, who are going through such challenging times. We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote,” Mr Trump said.
The statement drew an angry response on Twitter from Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, who also criticised efforts by the US Senate to impose new sanctions on Iran.
“Repugnant statement and Senate sanctions as Iranians counter terror backed by US clients. Iranian people reject such US claims of friendship,” Mr Zarif said.
Iranian citizens also tweeted their anger at Mr Trump’s statements, with many of them sharing photographs of Iranians holding candle-lit vigils in 2001 immediately after the September 11 attacks.
Iran’s interior ministry, meanwhile, has identified all five of the attackers as Iranian citizens who had joined Isil and fought in Iraq and Syria before returning to their home country last summer. (© Daily Telegraph London)
‘I can definitively say the president is not a liar. I think it is frankly insulting that question would be asked’