Beneath an nearly cloudless sky in the Rose Garden Friday, President Trump accused James Comey of lying under oath before Congress the day before and said he was "100 percent" prepared to make that case himself to the special counsel heading the Russian Federation probe.
"Lordy, I hope there are tapes", Comey said during his testimony Thursday.
"No collusion. No obstruction. No I didn't say that".
Mr Comey's testimony is certain to dominate the question-and-answer session when Mr Trump faces the press at the White House later on Friday in a joint news conference with Romania's president.
Comey also said that he believed the president had fired him because of the Russian Federation probe, told "lies" about his record at the bureau and sought to redirect the probe away from former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
"I would be glad to tell him exactly what I just told you", Trump told a reporter. "I mean, I will tell you, I didn't say that", Trump replied. "There's no ambiguity in it, there's no, 'Hey, I'm hoping, '" Trump said.
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: Meanwhile, leaders of the House Intelligence Committee asked Comey for his notes and memos.
After weeks of buildup, former FBI Director James Comey finally delivered his testimony in front of the Senate Intelligence Community.
"I took it as a direction". "There would be nothing wrong if I did say that, according to everybody that I've read today, but I did not say that". "Now I did not obey that but that is the way I took it", Comey testified.
The leaders of the House Russia investigation, Reps.
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Theresa May also forced her two closest aides to quit on Saturday after they have taken the blame for the election campaign. May said Barwell would help her "reflect on the election and why it did not deliver the result I hoped for".
Trump said he is "100 per cent" willing to testify under oath on Comey meetings and tell the FBI Special Consul Robert Muller that he never asked FBI to stop investigating. What's more, Jr.'s attempted straight shooter defense doesn't hold much water when you consider Comey made it pretty clear that he feels it was a big deal that Trump wanted the room cleared before he wold talk about Flynn.
Comey, who was sacked by Trump last month, said he did so in hopes that the memos, which documented what the former director felt was inappropriate contact by the president amid the ongoing investigation, would prompt the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to take over the probe.
However, Suri said those were somewhat negated by Trump's attacks on Comey's credibility.
"How do you gain that back once it is lost, credibility?" Think of that. I hardly know the man. "I think it is hard for the administration", said Chris Edelson, an assistant professor of government at American University in Washington, D.C.
For the moment, Republicans appear to be sticking with the president.
"If this was a cloud over the White House (Thursday), it's now become a storm over the White House".
Iohannis spoke of Trump's remarks last month about some members of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation not spending enough of defense, saying he liked the USA president's speech on the matter.
"Well, I didn't say that", Trump said.
Comey's testimony was the most eagerly anticipated U.S. congressional hearing in years.
"We have in our country this insulation between law enforcement and the equal rule of law and political interference, and the president crossed that line", Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said.
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