President Trump said Friday he would be "100 percent" willing to testify under oath to contradict portions of former FBI Director James Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday. While speaking at a joint press conference at the White House alongside Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Trump insisted that he did not push Comey to "let go" of the investigation into ousted National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, nor did he ask for a pledge of "loyalty" from the former FBI director.
Trump offered to testify after ABC News' Jonathan Karl pressed Trump on his claims that Comey had made several untrue statements during his testimony Thursday. Because Comey testified under oath, Trump's denial of Comey's statements equates to an accusation of perjury.
Trump's statement Friday afternoon marked the second time he has essentially accused Comey of lying under oath, after tweeting Friday morning that Comey had made "so many false statements and lies." Regardless, Trump said the hearing was "total and complete vindication," a refrain he repeated later that day when he said Comey had "confirmed a lot of what" he's been saying. "No collusion. No obstruction. He's a leaker," Trump said of Comey.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When asked Friday if there are "tapes" of his conversations with Comey, Trump demurred, saying he'd answer the question "in the near future."
-
Nitazene is elusively raising opioid deathsThe explainer The drug is usually consumed accidentally
-
Can medical debt hurt your credit?The explainer The short answer is yes, though it depends on the credit scoring mode
-
6 optimal digital nomad destinations. Pack your laptop, your visa and a sense of adventure.The Week Recommends See the world — but do it in a conscientious manner
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
