President Trump's lawyer will file a complaint with the Department of Justice's Inspector General's Office and the Senate Judiciary Committee after it was revealed Thursday that former Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey leaked memos to a friend in order to inform the media about conversations with the president, a source told Fox News.
Instead, Comey, his eyes fixed, his demeanor deadpan, said the president told him he "hoped" the investigation into Michael Flynn's contacts with Russian Federation could be dropped.
Kasowitz also said Comey lied about his meetings with Trump in which the President allegedly asked for loyalty multiple times.
Speaking to reporters a day after Mr Comey testified to the Senate intelligence panel, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said it was "beyond the pale" that Mr Trump had asked Mr Comey, then head of the independent law enforcement agency, for his loyalty.
In his first congressional appearance since being abruptly fired by Trump last month, Comey detailed months of distrust of the president and bluntly asserted that Trump had fired him to interfere with the probe of Russia's ties to the Trump campaign.
Trump tweets on Comey, declares 'total vindication'
Democrats pounced on Thursday after hearing Comey's suggestive language about "facts that I can't discuss in an open setting". But, Risch said, there was another way to read those words: "You may have taken it as a direction, but he said 'I hope'".
Comey would not say whether he thought the president sought to obstruct justice, but added it would be up to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is now investigating the Russian Federation allegations, "to sort that out". And members of both parties said they want copies of memos and other documents Comey said he has turned over to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, detailing his interactions with the president.
Mr Kasowitz says President Trump's team will "leave it the appropriate authorities" to determine whether the leak should be investigated. He painted a picture of an overbearing president who he did not trust and who pressured him to stop the FBI Flynn probe.
Rubio said it is important to understand what Trump's advisers had and had not told him, to understand whether people are dealing with "a concerned orchestrated effort to impede justice, or is this an unconventional non-politician who, because he has not worked in government before, either doesn't understand or quite frankly, is not interested in convention". Instead, Kasowitz pushed back and the president remained conspicuously silent on Twitter during the hearing despite expectations he might respond. Dianne Feinstein why he believes he as fired, Comey said he couldn't know for sure. "We had an investigation open at the time so that gave me a queasy feeling".
Many Democrats still blame Comey for Clinton's loss, leading Trump to apparently believe they would applaud him for firing Comey. The opposite occurred, as the firing created a political firestorm that has stalled Trump's legislative agenda and taken over Washington.
Trump has begrudgingly accepted that assessment.
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