President Donald Trump said he did not record, and does not possess, any tapes of his conversations with former FBI Director James Comey.

It ended speculation that arose last month after Mr Trump issued a tweet saying Mr Comey better "hope there were no tapes" of their exchanges.

Mr Trump said: "With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are 'tapes' or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings." </s> President Donald Trump said on Twitter Wednesday he "did not make" and does "not have" recordings of conversations with ex-FBI Director James Comey.DEVELOPING: We will add more details to this report as they become available. </s> Washington (CNN) This is a master of innuendo at work -- President Donald Trump never actually CLAIMED there were tapes of his conversations with fired FBI Director James Comey.

What he did say, in a tweet, is that Comey had better hope there weren't any RECORDINGS.

James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!

"James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

It was a bluff. And Comey called it during HIS Senate testimony when he said, "Lordy, I hope there are tapes."

Now we know that Comey's prayers are likely to go unanswered, after Trump said he didn't make any. Trump was the first to suggest they existed, so that means the tapes don't exist, right?

But just like he never actually, clearly said there were tapes, Trump -- in attempting to put the issue to rest -- doesn't actually say there are not tapes, either. It's also that kind of chatter, tactical but also reckless, that could land Trump in boiling hot water as a special counsel and congressional committees turn their attention to whether his words somehow obstructed Comey's work.

What's undeniable is that the President of the United States misled the American people and allowed them to go on a quixotic scavenger hunt from May 12 until June 22. And to some extent, it continues today.

Pay attention to his words in these two tweets Thursday:

"With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea...

"...whether there are 'tapes' or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings."

So there you have it. Trump still allows for the possibility there are tapes. But if there are, well, he didn't make them and he doesn't have them. By bringing up reports of electronic surveillance and intercepts and all that, he further muddies the water. So, who knows what Trump is saying?

And that's the point.

That little smidge of doubt means that, even as your heart and your mind are both telling you there are no tapes, and though you can know to an incredible degree of certainty there are no tapes ... well, there are those reports of surveillance and intercepts, unmasking and leaking. Who can ever be sure of anything? (Again: That's the point.)

It also feeds into Trump's apparent incapacity to admit he was wrong. He's not going to come out and say he messed up -- that his tapes gambit failed and maybe even backfired, with Comey taking the tweet as a challenge, and subsequently burning the President through leaked memos and public testimony. That? That's not a reality you're likely to find reflected in a Trump tweetstorm.

Innuendo is how Trump commanded media attention to the idea of tapes for months, right up to Thursday. It's also why he suggested over and over again that millions of illegal voters had robbed him of the popular vote. It's how he fanned the birther conspiracy for years.

Trump might have been a great defense attorney; he's not proving things beyond a reasonable doubt, he's casting shadows on it. </s> U.S. President Donald Trump admitted Thursday he did not record conversations he had with then-FBI director James Comey.

Trump took to social media Thursday afternoon and confirmed he did not make “any such recordings.”

With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea…” the president tweeted. “…whether there are ‘tapes’ or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings.”

On May 12, Trump suggested he may have recorded conversations between himself and Comey.

“James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” the president tweeted.

Comey testified earlier this month at the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing investigating possible connections between the Trump administration and Russia.

Comey said Trump had asked him to pledge his loyalty to the president and to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Comey said he believes he was fired as a result of the FBI investigation.

READ MORE: Donald Trump appears to confirm he’s being investigated for obstruction of justice

“Guess I don’t know for sure. I believe the — I take the president at his word, that I was fired because of the Russia investigation,” Comey testified while under oath.

Trump had said Comey’s firing was the result of the FBI being in “turmoil.”

“The FBI has been in turmoil. You know that, I know that, everybody knows that. You take a look at the FBI a year ago, it was in virtual turmoil — less than a year ago. It hasn’t recovered from that,” Trump said in an interview with NBC.

Trump had previously said he terminated Comey based on a recommendation from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Comey said during his testimony he “was fired in some way to change, or the endeavour was to change, the way the Russia investigation was being conducted. That is a very big deal, and not just because it involves me.”

Trump lashed out at Comey following the hearing, labelling the ex-FBI boss as a “leaker” after Comey admitted he gave a friend a written memo detailing a meeting he had with the president and asked the friend to give it to a reporter.

READ MORE: Watergate vs. Trump’s Russia scandal: How they stack up

“Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication…and WOW, Comey is a leaker!” Trump tweeted.

“I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter,” Comey said. “Didn’t do it myself for a variety of reasons but I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel, so I asked a close friend of mine to do it.” </s> WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump said on Twitter he ‘did not make’ and does ‘not have’ recordings of conversations with former FBI Director James Comey.

The president fired Comey in May and then tweeted that the lawman, who was overseeing the investigation into possible contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials, “better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press.”

Trump and his aides have since then steadfastly refused to clarify that extraordinary if ambiguous warning. The president last month told reporters that “I’ll tell you about that maybe sometime in the near future” but offered no hints as to whether the tapes exists, except saying that some journalists would “be very disappointed” to find out the answer. </s> U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he did not make and does not possess any tapes of his conversations with James Comey, after suggesting last month that he might have recordings that could damage the former FBI director.

"With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are 'tapes' or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings," Trump wrote on Twitter.

Lawmakers investigating allegations of Russian meddling in the U.S. 2016 election had asked the White House for any such recordings of Comey, who Trump fired in May.

Shortly after dismissing Comey, Trump mentioned the possibility of tapes in a Twitter post.

"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump wrote on Twitter on May 12.

The Russia issue has cast a shadow over Trump's first five months in office, distracting from attempts by his fellow Republicans in Congress to reform the U.S. healthcare and tax systems.

Comey's firing and its aftermath caused a political firestorm. He testified before a Senate committee that Trump had asked him to drop a probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn and his alleged ties to Russia.

Trump has privately told aides that the threat of the existence of tapes forced Comey to tell the truth in his recent testimony, a source familiar with the situation said.

Earlier on Thursday, CNN reported that two top U.S. intelligence officials have told investigators Trump suggested they publicly deny any collusion between his campaign and Russia, but they did not feel he had ordered them to do so.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Admiral Mike Rogers met separately last week with investigators for Special Counsel Robert Mueller and the Senate intelligence committee, according to CNN.

The two senior officials said they were surprised at Trump's suggestion and found their interactions with him odd and uncomfortable, but they did not act on the presidents' requests, CNN reported, citing sources familiar with their accounts.

The Kremlin has denied U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that Moscow tried to tilt the election campaign in Trump's favor, using such means as hacking into the emails of senior Democrats.

Trump has denied any collusion, and he continued to cast doubt on the investigations in a series of tweets on Thursday morning. </s> WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted that he did not record his conversations with then-FBI Director James Comey, putting to rest one of the biggest lingering mysteries surrounding the drama between the president and the FBI head he later dismissed.

Trump tweeted in May, shortly after he fired the FBI boss, that Comey “better hope that there are no ‘tapes’” of their conversations.

Media reports surfaced soon after Comey’s firing that revealed the existence of memos detailing conversations between the president and Comey. Trump and Comey spoke several times, both in person and on the phone.

The White House dodged questions about the tapes until after Trump’s tweet Thursday. At a White House briefing, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders did not offer an explanation as to why the president floated the existence of tapes or why he failed to address the allegations for more than a month.

“I think the president's statement via Twitter is extremely clear. I don't have anything to add,” Sanders said.

She said the president did not regret the tweet that helped spark the appointment of former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the Russia investigation.

Comey testified in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month that the prospects of taped conversations between him and Trump spurred him to ask a confidant to alert the New York Times about the existence of the memos. The revelation provided more pressure on the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to oversee the probe.

The former FBI head said Trump asked for his “loyalty” during a January dinner, and suggested he let the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn “go.”

“Lordy, I hope there are tapes,” Comey told Congress during his testimony.

In a press conference earlier this month, Trump denied both asking Comey for his loyalty and pushing for him to drop the Flynn investigation.

"I hardly know the man, I'm not going to say I want you to pledge allegiance. Who would do that? Who would ask a man to pledge allegiance, under oath?" Trump said.

Trump's announcement comes just one day ahead of a House Intelligence Committee deadline for the White House to provide the panel with any recordings between Trump and Comey.

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, ranking member of the committee, said Thursday that the tweets were insufficient.

"If the president didn’t make tapes or isn’t aware of tapes, then why did he hang the idea of tapes over James Comey’s head? Did he try to intimidate him, was he trying to discourage others from coming forward? There’s a lot that still remains to be answered here," Schiff said.

Schiff said the White House must officially respond to the committee by tomorrow’s deadline regarding whether they know of any recordings.

If they do not respond, Schiff says the next stop is to subpoena the White House, though he doesn’t expect that to happen. If the White House does respond and claims that they do not know about the existence of tapes, the committee will continue to ask all those they interview whether they know anything about the president’s recording habits.

"The president’s now denial is not a complete denial. He’s only saying he didn’t record the conversations and he doesn’t know whether there are recordings out there, so we’ll continue to explore this," Schiff said. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — Punching back a day after his fired FBI director’s damaging testimony, President Donald Trump accused James Comey of lying to Congress and said he was “100 percent” willing to testify under oath about their conversations.

Trump cryptically refused to say whether those private exchanges were taped — a matter at the heart of the conflicting accounts of what passed between them at a time when Comey was leading an FBI investigation into Russia’s interference in the presidential election and its ties to the Trump campaign.

He asserted that nothing in Comey’s testimony to the Senate pointed to collusion with Russia or obstruction of justice. “Yesterday showed no collusion, no obstruction,” Trump said.

He further denied ever asking Comey for his “loyalty,” contradicting Comey’s detailed sworn testimony about a private dinner the two men had in the White House.

“No I didn’t say that,” Trump stated abruptly, taking questions Friday at a joint press conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in the Rose Garden. Asked if he would make that denial under oath, he said, “100 percent.”

Trump’s aides have dodged questions about whether conversations relevant to the Russia investigation have been recorded, and so did the president, in a series of teases.

“Well, I’ll tell you about that maybe sometime in the very near future,” Trump said. Pressed on the issue, he insisted he wasn’t “hinting anything,” before adding, “Oh you’re going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer, don’t worry.”

The House intelligence committee sent a letter Friday asking White House counsel Don McGahn whether any tape recordings or memos of Comey’s conversations with the president exist now or had existed in the past. The committee also sent a letter to Comey asking for any notes or memos in his possession about the discussions he had with Trump before being abruptly fired last month. The committee is seeking the materials by June 23.

Comey told the Senate intelligence committee Thursday about several one-on-one interactions with the president, during which he said Trump pressed him to show “loyalty,” to back off on the FBI investigation of his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and to disclose that Trump himself was not under investigation.

Comey said he refused on all points, told senators of the detailed memos he had written after his conversations with Trump and said he hoped those conversations were taped because he is confident of their veracity.

Standing with the president of Romania, a NATO partner, Trump at last confirmed his commitment to the alliance’s mutual defense pact, Article 5, uttering words he deliberately did not say when he spoke at NATO’s gathering in Belgium last month. On Friday he said he was “committing the United States to Article 5.”

He also accused Qatar, a key U.S. military partner, of funding terrorism “at a very high level,” and said solving the problem in the tiny Persian Gulf nation could be “the beginning of the end of terrorism.” It was a forceful endorsement of this week’s move by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to cut off ties to Qatar, but a very different message from the one delivered just an hour before by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Tillerson had called on the Arab nations to immediately ease their blockade on Qatar.

Trump also saluted the United States’ relationship with Romania and praised its contribution to the global fight against terror.

The president had previewed his attacks against Comey in an early-morning tweet that broke his previous day’s silence on his favorite social media megaphone.

“Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication,” Trump wrote. It was a stunning accusation, suggesting that the former FBI director had lied to Congress, while under oath.

He also seized on Comey’s revelation that he had directed a friend to release contents of memos he’d written documenting his conversations with the president to a reporter.

“…and WOW, Comey is a leaker!” Trump wrote at 6:10 a.m. He derisively repeated the “leaker” moniker when speaking to reporters in the Rose Garden.

Trump’s private attorney, Marc Kasowitz, seized on Comey’s admission that he had orchestrated the public release of the information. Kasowitz is expected to file a complaint with the Justice Department inspector general next week, according to a person close to the legal team who agreed to speak before the filing on condition that the person’s name is not used.

Sen. Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, and Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the committee, both said Thursday they believed Comey’s account of the events.

“And I think you saw today the overwhelming majority of the intel members, Democrats and Republicans, feel that Jim Comey is credible. Even folks who have been his critics don’t question his integrity, his commitment to the rule of law and his intelligence,” Warner said.

Associated Press writers Julie Pace, Mary Clare Jalonick, Josh Lederman and Deb Riechmann contributed to this report. </s> President Donald Trump refused to make a declarative statement about the alleged tapes of his meeting with former FBI Director James Comey that may or may not exist.

"I'll tell you something about that maybe sometime in the very near future," Trump said when asked about the purported existence of the tapes during a joint news conference with the president of Romania at the White House today.

"I'll tell you about it over a short period of time. I'm not hinting at anything," he said.

"You're going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer," he said.

Trump was the first person to suggest that there may be recordings of his conversations with Comey after tweeting that Comey should be afraid of the possible recordings being released.

"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" Trump wrote in a May 12 tweet.

Trump also denied ever asking Comey to "let" the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn go or asking for Comey's loyalty, both of which Comey said under oath during testimony at the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing Thursday.

"I didn't say that. I will tell you, I didn't say that," he told ABC News' chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl about the Flynn investigation claims.

"And there would be nothing wrong if I did say it according to everybody that I read today but I did not say that," he added.

When asked about the alleged loyalty pledge, Trump denied ever having made such a move.

"I hardly know the man. I'm not going to say I want you to pledge allegiance. What would do that. Who would ask a man to pledge allegiance under oath. Think of that. I hardly know the man," Trump said.

At a different point during the news conference, Trump said he would "100 percent" be willing to testify under oath, and went on to criticize Comey's testimony.

"In the meantime, no collusion, no obstruction. He's a leaker. But we want to get back to running our great country. Jobs, trade deficits. We want them to disappear fast. North Korea, big problem. Middle East, a big problem," Trump said.

"So that's what I am focused on. That's what I have been focused on. But yesterday showed no collusion, no obstruction. We are doing very well. It's almost impossible for the Democrats to lose the electoral college, as you know. You have to run up the whole east coast and win everything as a Republican and that's what we did. So it was just an excuse. But we were very, very happy and, frankly, James Comey confirmed a lot of what I said and some of the things that he said just weren't true," he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump clarifies that he did not record any private conversations with former FBI Director James Comey.