Trump Defends Tapes Ruse: ‘My Story Didn’t Change, My Story Was Always a Straight Story’
.@POTUS on why he wanted former FBI Dir. James Comey to believe there were tapes of their conversations pic.twitter.com/pCuibM5Z6k
— FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) June 23, 2017
President Trump is standing by his decision to previously suggest that he had secret recordings of his meetings with James Comey.
As Trump spoke with Fox’s Ainsley Earhardt, he was asked to explain his recent tweeted admission that he never taped Comey like he suggested at first. After invoking his accusations about Barack Obama‘s political surveillance again, Trump suggested that Comey was at fault for reacting to his tweet in the aftermath of the former FBI director’s firing.
“I don’t have any tape and I didn’t tape. But when he found out that there may be tapes out there, whether it’s governmental tapes or anything else…I think his story may have changed. You will have to take a look at that because then he has to tell what actually took place at the events, and my story didn’t change. My story was always a straight story. My story was always the truth, but you’ll have to determine for yourself whether or not his story changed.”
When Earhardt suggested if it was a way to make sure Comey stayed “honest,” Trump replied “well, it wasn’t very stupid. I can tell you that he did admit that what I said was right.”
Trump’s “tapes” tweet is thought by some as integral to the chain of events that led to the hiring of Robert Mueller as special counsel for the independent investigation into Russia’s actions. At a separate point in the interview, Trump said the relationship between Mueller and Comey was “very bothersome.”
Watch above, via Fox.
[Image via screengrab]
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