President Trump’s son confirmed his father did tell former FBI Director James Comey he hoped the investigation into his former national security adviser Mike Flynn would end, just days after the president’s lawyer denied Trump “directed or suggested” Comey kill the probe.
“When he tells you to do something, guess what? There’s no ambiguity in it, there’s no, ‘Hey, I’m hoping,'” Donald Trump Jr. told Fox News on Saturday. “You and I are friends: ‘Hey, I hope this happens, but you’ve got to do your job.’ That’s what he told Comey. And for this guy as a politician to then go back and write a memo: ‘Oh, I felt threatened.’ He felt so threatened — but he didn’t do anything.”
Off message here for Trump Jr. Says his father did tell Comey he hoped he let the Flynn investigation go. His dad says that’s a lie. pic.twitter.com/oOhaFgZY4a— Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) June 11, 2017
Comey testified Thursday to Congress he believed the president was directing him to end his investigation into Flynn, telling senators Trump told him “I hope” the probe ends.
Republican Sen. James Risch pressed Comey on the matter.
“Do you know of any case where a person has been charged for obstruction of justice, or for that matter any criminal offense where they said, or thought, they hoped for an outcome?” Risch asked.
“I don’t know well enough to answer,” Comey began. “I took it as a direction. It is the president of the United States, and me alone, saying ‘I hope this.'”
“I took it as, this is what he wants me to do. I didn’t obey that, but that’s the way I took it,” Comey continued.
“You may have taken it as a direction, but that’s not what he said. He said, ‘I hope,'” Risch replied
“Those were his exact words, correct.” Comey replied.
