On Sunday, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said on CNN's State of the Union that President Trump should come clean on whether or not he has any tapes of private conversations between himself and former FBI Director James Comey, and if so, he should hand them over to Congress, or he could face a subpoena.
"I don't understand why the president just doesn't clear this matter up once and for all," Collins, who is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said. Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said members of the committee were pressing the White House on the issue.
On Friday, Republicans and Democrats in the House Intelligence Committee issued a letter demanding any recordings be turned over within two weeks. Such tapes could shape the ongoing investigation into Russia's ties to the White House. Specifically they could shed light on whether or not Trump tried to encourage Comey to drop the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and his relationships with Russian officials.
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.
Last month, Trump abruptly fired Comey from his post, and in the following days, issued a tweet in which he threatened him with "tapes" of their conversations. Since then, the Trump administration has not said whether or not tapes actually exist. During his Senate testimony last week, Comey said, "Lordy, I hope there are tapes," adding: "The President surely knows if there are tapes. If there are, my feelings aren't hurt. Release the tapes."
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
