U.S. President Donald Trump has replied James Comey, the former Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over allegations that Trump made efforts to undermine investigation into the alleged Russian meddling in the November 2016 election.
Comey had, at a public hearing by the Senate Committee on Intelligence investigating the alleged Russian collusion, accused Trump of some personal interventions over the investigation of former National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn.
Trump’s personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, read a statement denying Comey’s testimony that the president pressured him to drop his investigations into the Trump campaign’s possible collusion with Russia.
Kasowitz also said Trump never demanded “I need loyalty, I expect loyalty” as Comey testified on Thursday.
“Contrary to numerous false press accounts leading up to today’s hearing, Mr Comey has now finally confirmed publicly what he repeatedly told the president privately:
“The president was not under investigation as part of any probe into Russian interference.”
“He also admitted that there is no evidence that a single vote changed as a result of any Russian interference,” Kasowitz’s said.
He did not however wait to answer questions from journalists that gathered at the National Press Centre in Washington D.C.
Comey had testified that Trump and others in his administration lied when they said agents had lost confidence in him to continue leading the FBI.
Referring to Trump’s suggestion that he may have recorded their conversations, Comey said: “Lordy, I hope there are tapes”.
The former FBI chief also revealed for the first time that he turned over memos about his conversations with Trump to the Special Counsel investigating the Russian scandal, Robert Mueller.
Comey had also described Trump as a liar to which the White House fired back with a rebuttal.
White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said at a press briefing: “I can definitely say the president is not a liar.
“I think it is frankly insulting that question would’ve been asked”.
Trump fired Comey on May 9 over what the president termed Comey’s inability to provide purposeful leadership at the Bureau and his handling of the Russian investigation. (NAN)