In his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Comey described Trump allegedly asking for the director’s loyalty during a private dinner on Jan. 27.
“The president said, ‘I need loyalty, I expect loyalty.’ I didn’t move, speak, or change my facial expression in any way during the awkward silence that followed,” said Comey in a written statement submitted to the committee.
Two days later, Trump denied such an exchange.
“I hardly know the man. I’m not going to say I want you to pledge allegiance,” said Trump at the June 9 press conference. “What would do that? Who would ask a man to pledge allegiance under oath” Think of that. I hardly know the man.”
Comey additionally detailed, in the written statement, a Feb. 14 Oval Office meeting in which Trump allegedly discussed former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go,” said Trump, according to Comey.
Asked by a reporter at a May 18 press conference whether he urged Comey “in any way, shape, or form to close or back down the investigation into Michael Flynn,” the president offered a curt response.
“No. No. Next question,” said Trump.
The possibility that tapes existed eventually led Comey to direct a friend to release information about his interactions with Trump to The New York Times. Comey explained the process during the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.
“The president tweeted on Friday after I got fired that I better hope there’s not tapes,” said Comey. “I woke up in the middle of the night on Monday night because it didn’t dawn on me originally there might be corroboration, a tape. And my judgment was I needed to get that out into the public square.”
Earlier in his testimony, he said he wished such recordings exist, saying he was “stunned by the conversation” about Flynn and was attempting to “remember every word he said.”
“Lordy, I hope there are tapes,” said Comey.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, still wants a formal response in writing from the White House regarding the committee’s request for Trump’s “tapes,” despite the president’s tweets this afternoon.
“We’re going to need to go back to the White House to find out whether his tweets constitute an official response to the House Intelligence Committee,” he told reporters Thursday afternoon.
Minutes later, in an official release from his office, Schiff said the White House “must respond in writing” to the committee “as to whether any tapes or recordings exist.”
ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
Article Appeared @http://abc7chicago.com/news/trump-i-did-not-make-and-do-not-have-comey-tapes/2132033/