US President Donald Trump says he did not fire James Comey from the FBI "because of the phony Russia investigation," contradicting his 2017 comments that he fired the agency's then-director over the probe.
Trump's comments on Wednesday come as the former FBI director has launched a media tour this week to promote his book on leadership, "A Higher Loyalty," that also discusses his time working for Trump.
Trump suggested earlier this week that Comey should be put behind bars and accused him of leaking classified information and lying to Congress.
"That is not normal," Comey responded on Tuesday during a live interview on Good Morning America.
"That is not OK. First of all, he's just making stuff up. But, most importantly, the president of the United States is calling for the imprisonment of a private citizen, as he's done for a whole lot of people who criticise him. That is not acceptable in this country.
"The president doesn't get to decide who goes to jail."
Trump fired Comey in May amid the FBI's investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The move led the Justice Department to appoint Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the investigation, which Trump has denounced as a "witch-hunt."
Comey, who is promoting his book, A Higher Loyalty, said in a separate ABC News interview broadcast on Sunday that Trump is "morally unfit" to hold office.
Trump's campaign issued a fundraising appeal on Tuesday that branded Comey as a "grandstanding liar who put his own interests above America's."
