The House and Senate investigators have triggered off a series of requests after former FBI director James Comey’s testimony, and sought for memos of his private discussions with President Donald Trump and any records the White House kept of their discussion, including audio recordings.
“The leaders of the House Russia investigation, Reps. Michael Conaway, a Texas Republican, and Adam Schiff, a California Democrat, sent a request directly to Comey for copies of his memos. They sent a separate request to Trump’s White House counsel, Don McGahn, for any record the White House had of their meetings,” according to media reports.
The House requested for the records, including tapes if they exist, by June 23.
These developments come after Comey testified that Trump asked him to drop an investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
Comey repeatedly called Trump a liar to which the latter responded Friday by saying “Comey was a liar.”
Comey painted a picture of an overbearing president he did not trust and who pressured him to stop the FBI probe of Flynn.
Trump has said he was willing to testify under oath about his conversations with former FBI director James Comey.
“One hundred percent,” Trump said when asked about his willingness to deliver sworn testimony during a Rose Garden news conference.
Trump denied that he had asked Comey for his loyalty, though, adding, “There would be nothing wrong if I did say it.”
This is one promise we have to make him keep. #TrumpMustTestify pic.twitter.com/4J4NgR5ONP
— shauna (@goldengateblond) June 9, 2017
The President also denied Comey’s claims that he asked him to end the FBI’s investigation into national security advisor Michael Flynn.
Trump also twice declined to confirm the existence of White House recordings of the conversations.
“I’ll tell you about that sometime in the very near future,” Trump said.
Trump said his team emerged “very happy” after Comey’s testimony, while also offering a blunt assessment of Comey’s testimony before the Senate intelligence panel.
“No collusion, no obstruction, he’s a leaker,” he said.
This development comes a day after James Comey’s bombshell Capitol Hill testimony in which the fired FBI director accused the White House of “lies.”
He, said that whatever Trump did was “a very disturbing thing, very concerning.”
Trump officially took questions from reporters for the first time in three weeks, standing next to Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
The brief news conference, where each President took two questions from the press.
Earlier, Trump fired off an early morning tweet in which he said he had been “vindicated” by the James Comey hearing, adding that the former FBI director was a “leaker.”
Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication…and WOW, Comey is a leaker!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2017
The tweet broke a mysterious period of silence on social media for the President, who until then had not tweeted since June 7.
On Thursday, Comey had accused Trump of firing him to try to undermine the FBI’s investigation of possible collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia in alleged efforts to influence last year’s presidential election.
Comey told the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee that the Trump administration had lied and defamed him and the FBI after the President dismissed him on May 9.
The more than two hour-long testimony saw Comey further informing that Trump had directed him to drop an FBI probe against former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Comey said it should be special counsel Robert Mueller’s task to determine whether Trump had obstructed justice, and therefore, had opened himself up to possible impeachment proceedings, keeping the allegations on Russia in mind.
Russia has denied interfering in last year’s presidential elections, as has the White House.
The Senate judiciary committee sent a request to Columbia University law professor Daniel Richman for Comey’s memos.
The Senate committee had sent a request for Comey’s memos from the FBI on and a separate request to the White House for any records kept by Trump, on May 17.
The social media was agog all day and #TrumpMustTestify trended with Americans from both pro and anti-Trump camps asking the President to testify.
I am 100% willing to testify. Believe me. Maybe 80%. Ok, 43%. 17%. 6%. I’m a horrible president.#TrumpMustTestify pic.twitter.com/5iNQ5W949p
— Charles Ryder (@CapnRyder) June 10, 2017
Note to leftists:
President Trump has already said that he would testify. Your #TrumpMustTestify hashtag is useless.
— Kyle Morris (@RealKyleMorris) June 10, 2017
Trump should only agree to testify if these people do first:
Barack Obama
Loretta Lynch
Susan Rice
John Kerry#TrumpMustTestify pic.twitter.com/PdKmrGXrZ5
— The Columbia Bugle (@ColumbiaBugle) June 10, 2017
Go ahead, Mr. “President”. We call your bluff.
P.S. You can’t use a teleprompter. #TrumpMustTestify pic.twitter.com/0TBOtKECzY— Storm2017 🖖🌪 (@stormresist2017) June 9, 2017
#TrumpMustTestify
James Comey ensures that Trump “Will Testify UNDER Oath,” with this one tweet.pic.twitter.com/TkGn0qNyS3— Spam 4 Trump (@Spam4Trump) June 10, 2017
😂 #TrumpMustTestify naw, Trump Vindicated Checkmate☑️ pic.twitter.com/F8qmaCl0Di
— 🅼🅾🅰🅱 (@GigiTracyXO) June 10, 2017
If @HillaryClinton has the stamina to testify for 11 hours to a committee, I’m sure you can manage it too. #TrumpMustTestify — #TrumpLies pic.twitter.com/tQBiQ6rZFm
— Matt Scharfstein🇺🇸 (@MattAsherS) June 9, 2017