Trump won't say if tapes of Comey conversations exist

When asked if he'd agree to testify under oath to refute Comey's under-oath claims, Trump said he said he "100%" would.

PHOTOS: Comey testifies at U.S. Senate as nation watchesTrump's private attorney, Marc Kasowitz, seized on Comey's admission that he had told Trump on multiple occasions that he was not personally under investigation and maintained the testimony made clear that Trump "never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone".

Observers got a glimpse at what Comey is expected to discuss when his written testimony was posted online Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the House Intelligence Committee asked on Friday for Comey's memos to be handed over, and separately sent a letter to the White House demanding any "recordings or memoranda" of conversations with Comey that Trump or the White House may or may not possess.

The remarks, at a bilateral press conference with Romania's president, are Trump's first extensive public comments since Comey's bombshell testimony on Thursday that Trump demanded his "loyalty" and in a later meeting brought up Flynn and said he hoped Comey would "let this go". "Hopeful [today's] hearing will yield the answers we deserve".

Donald Trump's lawyer flatly denied two of the key claims made by James Comey and attacked the fired Federal Bureau of Investigation chief over his admission he had leaked a story to the press.

On May 30, Trump tweeted: "Russian officials must be laughing at the USA & how a lame excuse for why the Dems lost the election has taken over the Fake News". "I didn't obey that, but that's the way I took it".

Another curious revelation buried in Mr Comey's testimony was that Mr Trump was less concerned about possible legal predicaments of his staff (Mr Flynn, it seems, being the notable exception).

At a July 2016 news conference, Trump addressed an Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into Clinton's use of a private email system when she was secretary of state and emails that had possibly been deleted by saying: "I will tell you this, Russian Federation: if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing".

He portrayed Trump as a chief executive dismissive of the FBI's independence and made clear that he interpreted Trump's request to end an investigation into his former national security adviser as an order coming from the president.

Trump on June 6 chose former U.S. Justice Department official Christopher Wray, who represented New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in the so-called Bridgegate scandal, to be the next Federal Bureau of Investigation director.

In a White House press briefing a spokeswoman said that President Trump was not a liar and that she was offended by the question.

Asked on Thursday at the hearing about the prospect of the conversations having been recorded, Comey replied: "Lordy, I hope there are tapes!"

Rosenstein's memo said Comey erred in July 2016 by announcing the Federal Bureau of Investigation had been examining Clinton's use of a private email server and that the case should be closed without prosecution. Dianne Feinstein of California asked, "Why didn't you stop and say, 'Mr".

Comey repeatedly called the president's character and credibility into question, beginning with his opening statement, in which he called out Trump's attacks on him after his firing (presumably, calling Comey a "showboat" and suggesting he wasn't well-liked within the FBI).

Comey's response? To sum it up: easier said than done.

But he said that he was "stunned by the conversation". If Trump's intent was to punish Comey for not reshaping the Russian Federation inquiry, that would add to the evidence of wrongdoing. "The Russians interfered", Comey stated firmly. During his final appearance on Capitol Hill as FBI director, he vastly overstated the number of emails that were uncovered late in the campaign, prompting the bureau to correct his testimony.