The White House says the report is “not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the president and Mr. Comey.”
WASHINGTON — The White House disputed a report Tuesday that President Donald Trump asked former FBI Director James Comey to shut down an investigation into ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn.
The New York Times reported that Trump made the request during a February Oval Office meeting. The newspaper cited a memo Comey wrote shortly after the conversation. CNN later reported it had confirmed the New York Times report.
Flynn resigned the day before the Feb. 14 meeting, after it was revealed he apparently had lied to his about the nature of his contacts with Russia’s ambassador.
The Times said Trump told Comey, “I hope you can let this go.”
The White House denied the report.
“While the President has repeatedly expressed his view that General Flynn is a decent man who served and protected our country, the President has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn, ” the White House said in a statement.
Trump abruptly fired Comey last week, saying he did so based on his very public handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
According to the Times, Comey wrote in the memo that Trump told him Flynn had done nothing wrong. But Comey did not say anything to Trump about limiting the investigation, replying, “I agree he is a good guy.”
Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, told CNN that the Comey memo could prompt the Senate Intelligence Committee on which he sits to seek any recordings of conversations between Trump and Comey.
Tweets by Trump have raised the possibility that such tapes exist.
“If it’s tapes, now’s the time, ” for the White House to produce them, King said. “If it’s contemporaneous notes . if the president wrote a memo, we need to have that before us.”
