Comey memo: Trump said Flynn had ‘serious judgment issues’

President Trump told ex-FBI Director James Comey that he had “serious reservations” about former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s judgment, Comey wrote in a memo.

The Hill obtained copies of the memos, which Comey wrote following meetings with Trump early in his presidency, after they were shared with members of Congress on Thursday night.

In a memo dated Jan. 28, 2017, Comey recounted a dinner he had with Trump at the White House shortly after the president’s inauguration. Trump asked Comey who he thought he should be in contact with in the administration, and Comey mentioned the national security adviser.

{mosads}The president said Flynn had “serious judgment issues,” Comey wrote in his memo.

Trump then explained to Comey that when the president had complimented British Prime Minister Theresa May on being the first to congratulate him on his election, Flynn interjected that another leader had called first.

That was the first time Trump learned of the other leader’s call, Comey wrote.

“I did not comment at any point during this topic and there was no mention or acknowledgement of any FBI interest in or contact with General Flynn,” Comey wrote. 

Comey, who was fired by Trump in May, testified to Congress over the summer that Trump had asked him to drop the investigation into Flynn when the two met in the Oval Office on Feb. 14, 2017.

Trump’s lawyers have disputed that account.

Trump fired Flynn as his national security adviser after just a couple weeks on the job. His reasoning for that firing has also faced scrutiny.

The president said in February 2017 that he fired Flynn because he had lied to the vice president about his contact with a Russian official.

A couple days after Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, the president tweeted that he “had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI.” The tweet was reportedly written by his personal lawyer at the time, John Dowd.

Legal experts speculated that if Trump knew Flynn had lied to the FBI and then asked Comey to drop the investigation, it could constitute obstruction of justice.

The release of Comey’s memos coincided with his national media tour to promote his new book. During the media blitz, he has blasted the president as “morally unfit” and “untethered to truth.”

The president has responded by calling Comey a “slime ball” and the “worst FBI director in history.”