On May 10, 2017, President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. The move shocked the political world and raised questions about the president's motives. Shortly after the firing, the president tweeted, "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"
The "No Proquo" Note
In June 2017, former FBI Director Comey testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee. During his testimony, he revealed that he had kept detailed notes of his conversations with President Trump. One of these notes was particularly noteworthy.
The note, which Comey read aloud during his testimony, said, "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." Flynn referred to Michael Flynn, the former national security advisor who had resigned amid controversy over his contacts with Russian officials.
The note also included the phrase "I hope," which Comey interpreted as a request. He testified that he felt the president was asking him to drop the investigation into Flynn.
After the hearing, the White House released a statement denying that the president had made such a request. The president himself later tweeted, "I never asked Comey to stop investigating Flynn. Just more Fake News covering another Comey lie!"
The "Tapes" Tweet
After former FBI Director Comey's testimony, President Trump tweeted, "Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication... and WOW, Comey is a leaker!"
The tweet seemed to suggest that the president had secretly recorded his conversations with Comey, as he had previously hinted. This sparked a flurry of speculation about whether such tapes existed and what they might reveal.
Several weeks later, the president announced on Twitter that he had not made any recordings of his conversations with Comey. He wrote, "With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are 'tapes' or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings."
The Fallout
The fallout from President Trump's firing of FBI Director Comey and the subsequent revelations about their conversations continued for months. The president faced accusations of obstruction of justice, and the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election continued to dominate the news cycle.
In May 2019, the Department of Justice released a redacted version of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on the investigation. The report detailed numerous contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials but did not find evidence of coordination or conspiracy.
The report did, however, raise questions about the president's conduct with regard to the investigation. Mueller wrote that "the President's efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests."
Despite the controversy surrounding his presidency, President Trump remained in office until the end of his term in January 2021.
Conclusion
The "no proquo" note and the "tapes" tweet were just two of many twists and turns in the ongoing saga of President Trump's relationship with the FBI and the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The fallout from these events continued to shape the political landscape for years to come.