President Trump said Friday that he would “100 percent” be willing to testify under oath that he never told former FBI Director James Comey that he “hoped” the investigation into former national security adviser Mike Flynn would be dropped.
In a news conference in the Rose Garden with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Trump said he would be “glad” to tell his side of the story to special counsel Robert Mueller.
“I didn’t say that,” Trump said when asked whether he asked Comey to drop the investigation of Flynn. “I will tell you, I didn’t say that. And there would be nothing wrong if I did say it, according to everybody that I’ve read today, but I did not say that.”
Trump also denied Comey’s account that the president had asked his former FBI director to pledge loyalty.
“I hardly know the man,” Trump said of Comey. “I am not going to say, ‘I want you to pledge allegiance.’ Who would do that? Who would ask a man to pledge allegiance under oath? I mean, think of it. I hardly know the man. It doesn’t make sense. No, I didn’t say that.”
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., quickly called on the Senate to ask Trump to testify, tweeting, “let’s make it happen.”
“I called on him to do this yesterday,” Murphy said. “Now, let’s make it happen. Senate can send over the invite ASAP.”
I called on him to do this yesterday. Now, let’s make it happen. Senate can send over the invite ASAP. https://t.co/75IozkPcDE
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 9, 2017
Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., also said he expected Mueller to eventually seek testimony from Trump.
“It involves, to some degree, the president, at some point, not right away, Mr. Mueller will feel he has to depose the president,” Reed said in an appearance on CNN.
