Is Donald Trump, who effectively accused James Comey of perjury, now prepared to answer questions under oath? It sure sounds like it.
Donald Trump and his team already seemed prepared to moving towards a contest of credibility with former FBI Director James Comey, but at a White House press conference this afternoon, the president took the dispute to a whole new level.
A reporter asked Trump why he feels “vindicated” by Comey’s Senate testimony, and asked about whether the president has tapes of his interactions, as Trump has previously suggested. On the issue of recordings, the president said, cryptically, “Well I’ ll tell you about that sometime in the very near future, ” before adding:
Oh. So, according to the president – who seemed to be glancing down at some notes while speaking – we should believe the parts of Comey’s testimony that Trump liked, but we should believe the former FBI director perjured himself on the parts that Trump didn’ t like.
Later in the press conference, the president again insisted that Comey’s claims – specifically on whether Trump pressed Comey on letting up on Michael Flynn and the question of whether Trump demanded loyalty – weren’ t true, and it led to an awkward exchange:
The way the Q&A unfolded, it certainly sounded as if Trump said he’s prepared to testify under oath, which would raise the stakes on the investigation considerably. Watch this space.
