Admits no Comey 'tapes' exist after weeks implying he had recorded him

Trump tweeted that he 'did not make, and do not have' any recordings of his conversations with fired FBI Director James Comey, ending a mystery of his own creation. Five and a half weeks earlier, on May 12, Trump had warned Comey via Twitter that 'James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press,' a suggestion widely read as an effort to intimidate Comey and shape his testimony. For weeks the White House refused to confirm or deny the tapes' existence. Trump's admission came only after the House Intelligence Committee set a deadline for the White House to clarify the matter. Legal commentators noted the sequence raised questions of witness intimidation.

"whether there are "tapes" or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings." Quote verified against source