Trump claims ‘total and complete vindication’ from ‘leaker’ Comey

President Trump broke a nearly two-day silence on Twitter Friday morning to slam James Comey as a “leaker” the day after the ousted FBI director’s blockbuster testimony before Congress.

Trump claimed “total and complete vindication” from the Senate Intelligence Committee’s hearing, in which Comey accused him of lying and requesting the FBI to end a criminal investigation.

Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication…and WOW, Comey is a leaker!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2017

Surprising many, Trump had remained silent on Twitter throughout the day on Thursday, when Washington was riveted by Comey’s first public comments since the president fired him early last month. 

Comey said he believed Trump terminated him over the FBI’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

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His testimony included the revelation that he authorized a close friend to share with the press a memo describing a meeting with Trump in which the president allegedly asked him to let go of the probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. 

“I didn’t do it myself for a variety of reasons, but I asked him to because I thought that might prompt the appointment of a special counsel,” Comey said.

Trump’s team pounced on the comments. In a statement read to reporters, Marc Kasowitz, the president’s outside attorney, slammed the “leak” and categorically denied that Trump ever “directed or suggested” that Comey stop investigating anyone. 

“Today, Mr. Comey admitted that he unilaterally and surreptitiously made unauthorized disclosures to the press of privileged communications with the president,” Kasowitz said.

Comey said one of the reasons he felt compelled to speak out was the administration’s shifting rationale for his firing. Originally pointing the finger at his handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation, the White House later said Comey had mismanaged the FBI and lost the faith of rank-and-file agents. 

Trump also told NBC News that Comey was fired over the Russia probe. 

“The administration chose to defame me and, more importantly, the FBI by saying that the organization was in disarray, that it was poorly run,” Comey told the Senate Intelligence penal. “Those were lies, plain and simple.”