Former FBI Director James Comey says he asked a friend to leak the contents of his memo about meetings with President Donald Trump.
Comey says in his hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee that he felt that releasing the details of his private conversations with the president might prompt the appointment of a special counsel in the case.
The ousted FBI head says he made the decision after Trump tweeted that Comey should hope there aren’t any tapes.
Comey says the contents of the memo were released to a reporter by a close friend of his who is a professor at Columbia law school.
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Daniel Richman confirmed to The Associated Press in an email that he was the friend who Comey mentioned in his testimony. He declined further comment.
Richman served with Comey in the Southern District of New York and at the FBI.