On Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he did not in any way obstruct the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s probe into alleged interference by Russia in the 2016 presidential election. He stated that he did not make any record of the conversations with James Comey, former FBI director.
Comey's FBI probe
Comey headed the probe into allegations Russia attempted to influence the presidential election in favor of Trump and the alleged collusion with Russia by Trump associates. President Trump fired Comey in the manner he handled the investigation on May 9, his removal sparked heightened tension across the United States.
In an interview with Fox News Channel Friday, President Trump said there was no collusion, there was no obstruction. The transcript of the interview was released partially by Fox on Thursday.
The former FBI boss had told the Senate committee that Trump demanded that he drop an investigation into Michael Flynn, former national security adviser’s alleged relationship with Moscow.
Trump had earlier said on Thursday that he did not record and does not have any tapes of his interactions with James Comey, but admitted last month he might have tapes that undermine Comey’s account of events.
Trump's denial
“I have no idea whatsoever, whether there are recordings or tapes of my interactions with Comey, but I did not prepare, and do not have, any such tapings,” Trump said.
Lawmakers investigating the alleged Russian meddling in the US presidential election had demanded that the White House produce those recordings.
Not quite long he fired Comey, Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of recordings in a tweet he posted.
The controversy surrounding the Russia connection has cast a shadow over the President’s first six months in office, resulting in the distraction of Republican lawmakers in Congress to consider an overhaul of the controversial healthcare and tax reforms.
Existence of tapes
A source told reporters that Trump confided to some of his aides that Comey was forced to tell the truth during his testimony due to the existence of the tapes.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a top Democrat and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, hinted that President Trump still had questions to answer in respect of the Russia investigation.
On Thursday, CNN reported that two high-ranking Trump administration officials told investigators that the President suggested they publicly deny any collusion between his associates and Russia, but they felt he didn’t order for them to do so.
