President Donald Trump confirmed that he did not make tapes of his conversations with former FBI director James Comey before he was fired.
“I have no idea whether there are ‘tapes’ or recordings of my conversations with James Comey,” Trump finally revealed on Twitter. “But I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings.”
But Trump kept open the possibility that someone might have a record of what he and the FBI director discussed, citing “electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking” of private information.”
The president sparked frantic speculation on the possibility of tapes after he challenged Comey in May.
“James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” Trump wrote after the former FBI director started leaking details of the conversation to the media.
Both Democratic members of Congress and the media pressed the White House and the president about the possibility of tapes, knowing that it would advance the Russian collusion investigation.
Trump teased an announcement nearly two weeks ago, but said that reporters would be “disappointed” by the announcement.
“You’re going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer, don’t worry,” he said during a White House press conference with the president of Romania.