President Trump threatens Comey with 'tapes' of their conversations

President Trump and James Comey. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

President Trump issued a startling public threat to his ousted FBI director Friday morning:

On Thursday, Trump told NBC News' Lester Holt that on three occasions, former FBI Director James Comey reassured him he was not under investigation for ties to Russia. One of those conversations was at a dinner, and two others were separate phone calls. NBC News noted that "it would be highly unusual for someone who might be the focus of an FBI probe to ask whether he was under investigation and to be directly told by the FBI director that he was not."

The implication that Trump taped a private conversation is even more shocking. Writer Jared Yates Sexton asked: "Is the president admitting he surreptitiously records his conversations? Because that's massive, if so."

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.