Trump Threatens Comey – Suggests He May Have Secretly Recorded Their Conversations
Nixonian
In a bizzarre Friday morning tweet President Donald Trump threatened the FBI Director he fired just days ago.Â
“James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” the President said on Twitter.Â
Trump likely was responding to a New York Times article published late Thursday night that says in January that Trump, before telling Comey he would not ask him to step down as FBI Director, pressed him during a private dinner to pledge his personal loyalty to the new president. Comey only promised that he would be honest with Trump, according to the report which cites “two people who have heard his account of the dinner.”
If what Trump is suggesting is true – that he secretly recorded his conversation with Comey – it’s an extraordinary admission, and possibly an admission of an illegal act, depending on where the dinner took place. Different states have different requirements for recording people without their knowledge.
But it would also be extraordinary after Trump – with zero evidence – falsely accused President Barack Obama of committing a felony by wiretapping Trump in Trump Tower. The President has been unable to prove that claim.
Some responses via Twitter:
This is witness tampering and obstruction of justice. https://t.co/dx7XyX4Rhr
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 12, 2017
18 U.S. Code § 1512 – Witness tampering.
Trump better hope there are no prosecutors willing to enforce the law. https://t.co/Vy74cAViyU pic.twitter.com/b0x4nDRPPd— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) May 12, 2017
Is there a secret WH taping system recording the president’s private conversations? Like LBJ & Nixon had? Recall what happened with Nixon’s… https://t.co/RECeRh2EgT
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) May 12, 2017
It’s also a bluff.
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) May 12, 2017
This kind of threat by a POTUS is actually illegal. I’m sure @TheJusticeDept will make the WH aware of it soon. https://t.co/fzsw73wgkt
— Micheline Maynard (@MickiMaynard) May 12, 2017
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