"It does raise a very serious question, whether the president's intent was to subvert the investigation".
"There was no evidence that rose to that level, at that time, that found its way in to the intelligence community assessment, which we had pretty high confidence in", the former director of national intelligence said of collusion between Trump campaign aides and Russians, referring also to the USA intelligence assessment that Russia tried to influence the presidential election in favor of Trump.
The White House disputed the account. Former FBI agents said such a statement by the director would be all but unthinkable.
"It's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won".
It was this history that led the Justice Department to adopt a broad policy strictly limiting its communications with the White House about pending criminal investigations.
Moscow has denied interference in the election, and the Trump administration denies allegations of collusion with Russian Federation.
Trump also said that at the dinner, he and Comey discussed whether the United States top cop would stay in his role and continue his ten-year term.
Additionally, the New York Times reported Thursday that during that dinner, Trump asked Comey to pledge his loyalty.
Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores denied that Comey had asked Rosenstein for more resources for the Russian Federation investigation. Asked to clarify whether there were any tapes as Trump suggested, Spicer said he had nothing further to add to the president's tweets.
Mr Trump said he had asked Mr Comey once over dinner and twice by telephone.
Backed rebels say they wrested key Syrian city from ISIS
John Dorrian, a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, the USA -led campaign against ISIS, told Pentagon reporters. Turkish warplanes attacked Kurdish YPG fighters in northeastern Syria and Iraq's Sinjar region late last month.
Trump fired Comey late Tuesday afternoon, a surprise move that set off a firestorm of controversy and criticism in Washington and beyond.
Mr Trump said there was no "collusion between me and my campaign and the Russians", but that "the Russians did not affect the vote".
"Are there recording devices in the Oval Office or the residence?" Among those participating in the meeting were Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak, whose contacts with Trump advisers are being scrutinized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Henry Kissinger, who served as Nixon's secretary of state. "Very simply. He was not doing a good job". "My decision", Mr Trump said.
Sanders attributed Trump's shift to the difference between being a candidate and president.
Apparently angered by criticism of the different accounts of the sacking, Mr Trump used another of his tweets on Friday to say: "As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with flawless accuracy!"
The former AG's comment - that Comey's decision was "an error in judgment" - was cited this week in a memorandum by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
The letter was posted online by CNN Wednesday night. President Bill Clinton dismissed William Sessions amid allegations of ethical lapses in 1993.
Those comments, plus another Friday tweet claiming his aides can't be expected to convey his views with "perfect accuracy", raised new questions about the credibility of his top spokespeople: Spicer and Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
"He said: 'You are not under investigation'".
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