By Aaron Miller
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Former FBI chief, James Comey, has instructed the release of a written testimony regarding his interactions with President Donald Trump thatsharply contradicts the President’s account.
The testimony is set to be delivered on Thursday at a Congressional hearing which will grab the attention of the world.
In an account that appears frank and precise, Comey paints a picture of a troubled president desperate to get rid of ‘’a cloud’’ hanging over his head, which Trump said was impairing his ability to strike deals for America.
The experienced former FBI director documented his every meeting with the president- three in total, the other six on the phone. Comey claims Trump was eager to confirm he wasn’t personally being investigated over the Russia controversy linked with the 2016 U.S elections.
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On two occasions, Comey says the president said he wanted ‘’loyalty’’, ‘’honest loyalty’’, the president is
said to have clarified after the former FBI boss said honesty could always be expected from him.
Comey also says that President Trump asked him to halt the investigation into disposed national adviser, Michael Flynn, saying he is a ‘’good guy’’. An extract from the released notes reads:
“I felt compelled to document my first conversation with the President-Elect in a memo. To ensure accuracy, I began to type it on a laptop in an FBI vehicle outside Trump Tower the moment I walked out of the meeting.
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“Creating written records immediately after one-on-one conversations with Mr. Trump was my practice from that point forward. This had not been my practice in the past. I spoke alone with President Obama twice in person (and never on the phone) — once in 2015 to discuss law enforcement policy issues and a second time, briefly, for him to say goodbye in late 2016”.
“In neither of those circumstances did I memorialize the discussions. I can recall nine-on-one conversations with President Trump in four months — three in person and six on the phone”
Comey also expresses surprise in the letter about a dinner invitation sent to him by Trump on Jan. 27 , in which no other person was invited o his surprise. “It turned out to be just the two of us, seated at a small oval table in the center of the Green Room,” Comey states in the written testimony..
“Two Navy stewards waited on us, only entering the room to serve food and drinks.”)and that the goal of the meeting was “an effort to have me ask for my job and create some sort of patronage relationship.”
“He then said, ‘I need loyalty.’ I replied, ‘You will always get honesty from me.’ He paused and then said. That’s what I want, honest loyalty.’ I paused, and then said, ‘You will get that from me.'”
ABANDON
Comey also confirmed in his written testimony that Trump directly asked him to “let go” of the investigation into deposing national security adviser Michael Flynn. Quoting Trump,Flynn writes of the Feb. 14 meeting in the Oval Office:
“I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I’ll hope you can let this go.
“I had understood the President to be requesting that we drop any investigation of Flynn in connection with false statements about his conversations with the Russian ambassador in December.”
CONTACT
Comey says he told Trump he should contact the deputy Attorney General’s office in relation to his repeated request to “get out” the news that he was not a target of the federal investigation, here’s how Comey remembers the president’s response:
“He said he would do that and added, ‘Because I have been very loyal to you, very loyal; we had that thing you know.’ I did not reply or ask him what he meant by ‘that thing.’
I said only that the way to handle it was to have the White House Counsel call the Acting Deputy Attorney General. He said that was what he would do and the call ended.”
NEGATIVE
Comey’s account presents Trump in negative light, it does not make the best of readings. However, Trump’s request to get the news out that he was not being investigated was not wrong. If Trump was not investigated, he rightly could expect Comey to exonerate him publicly and lessen the cloud over his head.
Comey’s decision to sendTrump to tie Acting Deputy Attorney general would have annoyed the president. However, the hearing tomorrow will be tense and full of suspense as to what will happens next. Don’t blink!
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