Trump's Personal Lawyer Responds to Comey's Testimony
Marc Kasowitz maintains the president did nothing wrong and criticizes Comey for leaking memos to the press.
Marc Kasowitz, personal attorney for President Donald Trump, today criticized former FBI Director James Comey, while emphasizing the president is not under an FBI investigation.
In a statement he read to reporters this afternoon after Comey's appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committeee, Kasowitz said, "Contrary to numerous false press accounts leading up to today's hearing, Mr. Comey has now finally confirmed publicly what he repeatedly told the President privately: The President was not under investigation as part of any probe into Russian interference."
Kasowitz left the podium taking no questions from reporters.
Comey stated in his testimony that President Trump was not personally under investigation due to the FBI's Russia probe, but dhe eclined to speculate "in an open setting" on whether he thought Trump had colluded with the Russian government because of an ongoing investigation.
Kasowitz told reporters Trump made no attempt to interfere with the investigation of former White House Advisor Michael Flynn, saying the president "never in form or substance, suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone, including suggestions that Mr. Comey 'let Flynn go.'"
This directly conflicts with Comey's testimony. Comey said that Trump told him in a private setting, "I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go," one day after Flynn had resigned.
Comey said he took this conversation to be a direction to stop any criminal investigation of Flynn.
Kasowitz also criticized Comey's leaking of memos the former director had written about the one-on-one interactions he had had with the president to Columbia Law Professor Daniel Richman.
"Mr. Comey admitted that he leaked to friends his purported memos of thee privileged conversations, one of which he testified was classified."
"In sum," Kasowitz concluded, "it is now established that the president was not being investigated for colluding with the or attempting to obstruct the investigation."
During testimony Comey declined to offer an opinion as to whether or not Trump's actions rose to the level of obstruction of justice or other criminal wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, an FBI probe continues into the Russian government's interference in the 2016 U.S election, and whether or not the Russians colluded with members of the Trump campaign.