Donald Trump says he is '100%' willing to testify under oath about his conversations with James Comey

Battle between the President and the former FBI director could turn into he-said versus he-said

Donald Trump has said he is “100%” willing to speak under oath about his conversations with the former FBI chief James Comey, accusing him of giving false testimony to Congress.

In his first public comments over the damaging case, Mr Trump dismissed the Senate hearing over the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election as a politically charged proceeding. He also said that he had never asked Mr Comey – who he fired last month – for his “loyalty” over the investigation, a key part of Mr Comey's testimony.

The President also said the statements made by Mr Comey had failed to demonstrate that he obstructed justice or that Trump campaign advisers colluded with the Russian government to influence the 2016 election.

“[The hearing] was an excuse by the Democrats, who lost an election they shouldn’t have lost,” Mr Trump said in the White House Rose Garden, during a news conference with the visiting Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

“It was just an excuse, but we were very, very happy, and frankly, James Comey confirmed a lot of what I said, and some of the things that he said just weren’t true.”

During his testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Mr Comey said that he believed the President had directed him to drop an FBI investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s alleged ties to Russia. However, Mr Comey wouldn't go so far as to say that Mr Trump's words were part of an effort to obstruct.

“I took it as a very disturbing thing, very concerning, but that's a conclusion I'm sure the special counsel will work towards to try and understand what the intention was there, and whether that's an offense.”

Mr Flynn was forced to resign from his post in February after it was revealed that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with a Russian official.

In his opening statement to Congress, Mr Comey said the President had privately told him in the Oval Office: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”

Asked by a reporter if he had told Mr Comey to drop the investigation into Mr Flynn, Mr Trump said, “I didn't say that.”

The reporter then asked, “So he lied about that?”

“Well, I didn't say that. I mean, I will tell you, I didn't say that,” Mr Trump replied. “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,” he said.

Mr Comey also told Congress that Mr Trump asked him in January to pledge loyalty to the President, an unusual request that would put in doubt the independence of the FBI.

“I hardly know the man. I'm not going to say I want you to pledge allegiance. Who would do that?” Mr Trump said.

The FBI director is a political appointee nominated by the President, and can be removed by the US leader at any time. However, the bureau is meant to be insulated from the political pressure of the White House.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Mr Trump abused his power by seemingly directing Mr Comey to drop the criminal investigation into Mr Flynn.

“I think it’s an abuse of power, and as far as obstruction of justice,” Ms Pelosi told US broadcaster MSNBC, adding that special counsel Robert Mueller “should look into this”.

Mr Mueller was appointed by the US Justice Department to oversee the Russia investigation, which Mr Comey had been heading prior to his dismissal and may have been the reason why the President decided to fire him, Mr Comey suggested on Thursday.

Congressional investigators from the House and Senate are also conducting their own probes.

Mr Comey had first recorded details of his interactions with the President in a series of memos. After Mr Trump tweeted that there may be recordings of their conversations, Mr Comey said he felt the need to reveal his written account of their Oval Office meeting.

“So I asked a friend of mine to share the content of the memo with a reporter,” Mr Comey said. The friend was later identified as Daniel Richman, a professor at Columbia Law School.

During the press conference at the White House on Friday, Mr Trump would not confirm whether he had recordings of his conversations with Mr Comey, but said that the press would know shortly.

“You’re going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer,” he said.

Leaders of the House intelligence committee said they have written to White House counsel to ask whether there are any records or memos of Mr Comey’s discussions with the President. The Senate judiciary committee, meanwhile, sent a request to Daniel Richman for Comey's memos.

If there are no records or tapes, the outcome of the saga may hinge on which individual’s statements – Mr Trump’s or Mr Comey’s – are found to have more validity.

Democratic senator Martin Heinrich said during the hearing, “a lot of this comes down to who should we believe”.

Mr Trump had stayed unusually quiet on Thursday, refraining from weighing in on the testimony gripping the country both on Twitter and at several public appearances. But on Friday, Mr Trump struck back in an early-morning tweet.

“Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication,” Mr Trump wrote.

Mr Trump also seized on the release of Mr Comey's memos, “...and WOW, Comey is a leaker!” Mr Trump wrote.

Mr Trump's private attorney, Marc Kasowitz, also seized on the admission, casting the former FBI director as one of the “leakers” set on undermining the Mr Trump administration.

The attorney is expected to file a complaint with the Justice Department inspector general about the revelation next week.