During his tumultuous first few months in office, President Donald Trump has entertained all kinds of “hoaxes,” such as the notion that Russia didn’t interfere in the 2016 election or that climate change is a clever Chinese ruse. Now he can add his own statements to that list.
On Thursday, Trump said that he did not make any recordings of his conversations with former FBI Director James Comey, whom he fired last month. Trump himself raised the possibility that there were “tapes” of those discussions in a tweet last month, but then he backtracked in a series of tweets on Thursday, saying he “did not make” and does not have recordings of his talks with the former FBI chief.
Trump’s statements could end one of the more intriguing mysteries of his young presidency. If Trump or the White House did have recordings of his talks with Comey, those tapes would be of interest to FBI investigators, who are reportedly examining whether Trump attempted to quash FBI investigation into Trump’s former national security adviser.
According to sworn testimony in Congress by Comey, Trump pushed him to drop the FBI’s investigation of Michael Flynn, who is under investigation for not disclosing income he received from the Russian government, and his lobbying activities on behalf of Turkey.
Trump took to twitter last Month when stories started leaking out about Comey’s relationship with the president.
Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee this month, Comey said those tapes would vindicate his account of events. “Lordy, I hope there are tapes,” he said.
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