President Donald Trump claimed that memos written by former FBI Director James Comey “show clearly” that the Trump campaign did not collude with Russia during the 2016 election, and that Trump has not obstructed justice amid ensuing investigations.
Comey, who Trump removed as FBI director in 2017, made detailed notes after seven encounters with Trump. Comey had testified before Congress about parts of the memos, but they became public in their entirety for the first time on April 19, which prompted Trump to claim the memos cleared his name.
Comey’s memos do not say anywhere that Trump did not collude or obstruct justice.
The FBI opened an investigation in July 2016, when Comey was still director, into links between the Trump campaign and Russian government. On May 9, 2017, Trump fired Comey. From then on, Comey would have no role investigating Trump campaign ties to Russia. Later that month, former FBI Director Robert Mueller was appointed special counsel to lead the investigation into possible connections between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
After the reins were passed from Comey to Mueller, the investigation escalated dramatically. Comey wasn’t in any position to make definitive statements about whether collusion existed or not.
Mueller’s investigation has swept up four members of Trump’s campaign so far, including three who have agreed to work with Mueller’s team as part of a plea deal. Mueller has yet to issue a final determination on the collusion question.
The idea that the memos exonerate Trump on charges of obstruction of justice is even weaker.
For starters, Comey’s memos contain details that many experts would consider legally relevant in an obstruction case against Trump.
The memos describe a January 2017 dinner with Trump at the White House. Comey wrote that Trump said that evening, “I need loyalty, I expect loyalty.” The memos also describe a private meeting at the White House the following month, in which Trump asked Comey to drop the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Two days after Comey’s ouster, Trump said in a nationally televised interview that he’d been thinking about the FBI’s Russia investigation when he fired Comey. “When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story,” Trump told NBC’s Lester Holt.
Mueller has also not issues a final determination on whether Trump obstructed justice.
Comey’s memos show Trump repeatedly asking for his help to “lift the cloud” being cast over his presidency by the Russia probe. Comey writes that he reassured Trump multiple times that the FBI was not investigating him.
But Comey’s final memo was written more than a year ago, before Mueller ramped up the investigation and before Trump admitted he had been thinking about the Russia investigation when he fired Comey.
Our ruling
Nowhere in Comey’s memos does he say that Trump did not collude nor obstruct justice.
We rate this Pants on Fire.
“James Comey Memos just out and show clearly that there was NO COLLUSION and NO OBSTRUCTION”
— President Donald Trump on Thursday, April 19, 2018 in in a tweet
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