President Trump says he has no 'tapes' of Comey conversations
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Thursday that he does not have "tapes" of his private conversations with then-FBI Director James Comey, finally ending a mystery of his own creation that began last month when he suggested that he had privately recorded their talks.
Trump on May 12 floated the idea that he had an audio record of their conversations, apparently as a way to intimidate Comey. For five and a half weeks, the president and senior White House officials refused to tell the public whether such tapes exist.
But after an inquiry from congressional investigators about the tapes, Trump tweeted Thursday, "I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings":
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With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea ...
... whether there are "tapes" or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings.
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On May 12, a day after details of a one-on-one dinner he had with Comey were reported by The New York Times, Trump tweeted a threat to the former FBI director, whom he had recently fired.
"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump tweeted.
In the weeks since, Trump, White House press secretary Sean Spicer and other top officials have repeatedly been pressed on whether the president had such "tapes" and whether he records private conversations in the White House. They declined to provide answers each time.
At a June 9 news conference, Trump played coy when asked whether the "tapes" exist. He told reporters they would have to wait "a fairly short period of time" to find out.
"Oh, you're going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer," Trump said. "Don't worry."
Comey, meanwhile, effectively dared Trump to release whatever "tapes" he may have.
"Lordy, I hope there are tapes," Comey said in his Senate testimony earlier this month.