Lauren Stephenson
Comey: Trump Asked How FBI Could 'Lift The Cloud' Of Russia Probe
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has published the fired FBI director's statement for the record a day before he is scheduled to testify.
LEARN MOREPosted: 4:30 p.m. EDT Jun 8, 2017
"The administration then chose to defame me and, more importantly, the FBI by saying that the organization was in disarray, that it was poorly led, that the workforce had lost confidence in its leader. Those were lies, plain and simple," said former FBI Director James Comey.
During his opening statement to the Senate intelligence committee, the fired FBI director accused President Donald Trump and his administration of lying. And that wasn't the only time during his nearly three-hour testimony.
"I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting, and so I thought it really important to document," Comey explained.
"In his interview with Lester Holt on NBC, the president said: 'I had dinner with him. He wanted to have dinner because he wanted to stay on.' Is this an accurate statement?" Sen. Angus King of Maine asked.
"No, sir," Comey responded.
"Did you in any way initiate that dinner?" King asked.
"No. He called me at my desk at lunchtime and asked me was I free for dinner that night," Comey said, adding that he had to break dinner plans with his wife.
"But in that same interview, the president said, 'In one case I called him, and in one case he called me.' Is that an accurate statement?" King asked.
"No," Comey said.
"Did you ever call the president?" King followed.
"No. I might — the only reason I'm hesitating is I think there was at least one conversation where I was asked to call the White House switchboard to be connected to him, but I never initiated a communication with the president," Comey said.
Both the Trump administration and the president's personal attorney have hit back on those statements.
White House principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders reportedly told journalists during an off-camera gaggle, "No, I can say definitively the president is not a liar."
And Trump's personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz, appeared to question Comey's integrity.
"Today, Mr. Comey admitted that he unilaterally and surreptitiously made unauthorized disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the president," Kasowitz stated.
Kasowitz also disputed what Comey said about talks between Trump and the former FBI director.
"The president never in form or substance directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone including the president never suggested that Mr. Comey 'let Flynn go,'" Kasowitz said. "The president also never told Mr. Comey, 'I need loyalty, I expect loyalty.'"
