Former FBI Director James Comey has revealed details about his three meetings and six phone calls with US President Donald Trump in a submission he will make to the US Senate intelligence committee. Comey was sacked by Trump last month while investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.
Here's what Comey said took place.
* January 6, 2017, Trump Tower, New York
- Comey privately briefs Trump about a dossier of "salacious and unverified" material that is floating around about Trump. Comey tells Trump he was not being personally investigated as the FBI did not "have an open counter-intelligence case on him".
- Comey says he later felt "compelled" to document the conversation and began typing a note the moment he left the meeting.
* January 27, White House Green Room
- Trump invites Comey to dinner which turns out to be a private one-on-one affair. Comey says Trump asks him if he wants to keep his job which Comey said he found strange.
- Comey's instincts tell him the dinner was about setting up "some sort of patronage relationship". Comey tells Trump he can be counted on to tell the truth.
- Comey says Trump then says: "I need loyalty, I expect loyalty". Comey's response: "You will always get honesty from me". Trump goes on: "That's what I want, honest loyalty." Comey says: "You will get that from me". Comey later writes in his notes that it was possible he and Trump understood the phrase 'honest loyalty' differently.
* February 14, Oval Office
- Trump clears the room, including Comey's boss Attorney General Jeff Sessions, after a counterterrorism briefing so he could speak privately with Comey about Mike Flynn, the national security adviser Trump had fired the day before. "He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go," says Trump. Comey agrees Flynn is a "good guy" but said he didn't say he would let the investigation go.
- Comey later asks Sessions to stop any future direct communications between himself and the president, adding he didn't think it appropriate that Sessions was asked to leave the briefing.
* March 30, phone call to Comey
- Trump describes the Russia investigation as "a cloud" that is stopping him doing his job and asks Comey what can be done to lift it.
- Trump asks Comey about the last week's congressional hearing into Russia. Comey says the committee was briefed on who was being personally investigating - adding that Trump was not one of them. Trump repeats: "We need to get that fact out''.
* April 11, phone call to Comey
- Trump follows up again about getting it out that he, personally, was not being investigated. Comey says he told Trump the request had been passed on to the acting deputy attorney general.
- Comey says Trump again said "the cloud" was interfering with his ability to do his job.
- The call ends with Trump saying: "Because I have been very loyal to you, very loyal; we had that thing you know." Comey said that he did not reply or "ask him what he meant by 'that thing'."
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