U.S. President Donald Trump accused former FBI Director James Comey Friday of ruining former national security advisor Michael Flynn's life while profiting financially at Flynn's expense with a newly published book.
Trump denounced Comey on Twitter after memos he wrote following several meetings last year with President Trump were disclosed Thursday.
Comey's memos were redacted and sent to Congress by the Justice Department Thursday night and later obtained by some news organizations.
Included in the memos is the assertion that Trump had serious concerns about Flynn's judgment. The former national security advisor was eventually fired for deceiving Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about the details of a discussion with a Russian ambassador.
Flynn has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador and is cooperating with special counsel investigators who assumed control of the Russia investigation after Comey's dismissal.
Comey has said he wrote the memos shortly after his conversations with the president because he felt uncomfortable with his encounters with the U.S. leader.
Comey wrote the president was concerned about the claims that he colluded with Russia to help win the presidential election and that there was a video of Trump with Russian prostitutes.
In one memo written after Comey talked with Trump on March 30, 2017, Comey wrote that Trump "said he was trying to run the country and the cloud of this Russia business was making that difficult.'
Trump fired Comey in May 2017 while the FBI chief was leading an investigation into allegations of Russian interference in the presidential election and possible collusion between Trump's campaign and the Russians.
Russia has denied any interference with the U.S. presidential vote.
Comey also wrote that the president often asked him about the claim that there was a video of him with prostitutes in a Moscow hotel.
Comey wrote that the president said "this hookers thing" is "nonsense." He also wrote that Trump said "Putin had told him, 'We have some of the most beautiful hookers in the world.'"
Shortly after his inauguration, Trump had dinner with Comey.The president, Comey wrote, said that he expected loyalty from Comey.
In his book, "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership," published earlier this week, Comey compared the president to a mob boss focused on extracting personal loyalty from those who work for him, with little regard for morality or truth.
After Comey was fired, Special Special Counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to continue the investigation into Russia's involvement with the U.S. election.
