President Donald Trump broke his silence after staying off Twitter during former FBI Director James Comey's testimony on Capitol Hill, writing Friday that "despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!"
Trump stayed off Twitter throughout Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, and he made no reference to Comey during a speech at the Faith and Freedom Coalition.
However, the president was up early on Friday morning to give his take on the momentous day in Washington. It was not clear if Trump specifically called Comey a liar in his tweet or was referring to wider coverage of the saga.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/873120139222306817
Regarding Trump's "leaker" remark, that concerned a statement by Comey in which he discussed leaking a memo of a conversation he had with Trump.
It stemmed from Comey saying Trump told him he hoped he could drop the investigation into ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. Comey said that after Trump tweeted that Comey should hope there were no "tapes" of their discussions, the former FBI chief leaked a memo about their conversation through a friend, hoping to prompt the appointment of a special counsel to take over the matter.
Comey also said Trump lied and defamed him and the FBI in the wake of his dismissal, and he said he believed he was terminated to "change" how the Russia conversation was being conducted. He did say that he was never asked to drop the wider Russia investigation by Trump or anyone else in the administration.
Trump's lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, also said Thursday that his client was vindicated.
He pushed back against some of Comey's claims, such as one in which Trump suggested backing off the investigation into Flynn and that Trump asked for Comey's loyalty. Kasowitz also said Comey affirmed that Trump himself was not personally under investigation, as Trump had previously stated himself.