US President Donald Trump has slammed James Comey as "cowardly", days after the fired Federal Bureau of Investigation director's testimony to the US Senate Intelligence Committee and as Attorney General Jeff Sessions prepares to speak to the same panel to answer questions about alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.
The House intelligence committee has asked White House counsel Don McGahn whether any tape recordings or memos of Mr Comey's conversations with the president exist now or had existed.
"My judgment was, I need to get that out into the public square", Comey said as he appeared before the panel.
In his sole tweet on Comey's testimony to date, Trump had called Comey a "leaker" for passing memos of one-on-one talks with Trump to a lawyer who then provided them to a reporter, also saying he felt Comey's words amounted to "total and complete vindication".
"I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible", Trump wrote on Twitter.
"Oh, you're going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer, don't worry", said Trump.
- Donald Trump " I didn't say that and I didn't say the other", he added, referring to the charge that he also asked Comey to drop the probe of Mike Flynn, who was sacked as national security adviser after lying about contacts with Russian Federation.
"I'll tell you about that in the very near future", he told reporters.
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Leaders of the House Intelligence Committee, which is also investigating suspected Russian election meddling, have written White House counsel Don McGahn asking whether tapes exist and, if so, that they be produced to the committee by June 23.
"Mr. Comey's memoranda are relevant to the Judiciary Committee's ongoing investigative efforts".
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: He did tell President Trump several times that he wasn't specifically under investigation.
I think it's clear that everything that went on in the Comey testimony was basically ridiculous.
"One hundred percent", Trump said in the Rose Garden yesterday afternoon when asked if he'd make the same claims in sworn testimony to Special Counsel Robert Mueller if asked. The House intelligence committee is seeking any tapes of the conversations.
"I'd be glad to tell him exactly what I just told you", Trump said.
"No collusion, no obstruction", the president said under a broiling sun, gazing at senior members of his Cabinet and White House staff perched on folding chairs in the grass. "And you wonder if - it's unusual to me, and I've done a lot of cases for 40 years of practicing law nearly, and at the highest levels including the Supreme Court - that you have a situation, I think this is unprecedented, where the testimony was reviewed", Sekulow said.
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