Comey says Trump threatened to sue Christopher Steele

President Trump considered bringing a lawsuit against the author of the so-called Steele dossier, which contained allegations about his ties to Russia, according to memos authored by former FBI Director James Comey.

Comey wrote in a memo obtained by The Hill dated March 30, 2017, that Trump complained in a phone call that morning that “the cloud of this Russia business” was making his job difficult, referring to an FBI probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

“He then went on at great length, explaining that he has nothing to do with Russia,” Comey wrote.

Trump denied a salacious claim in the dossier that he was involved with Russian hookers, and said he was “bringing a personal lawsuit against Christopher Steele,” according to Comey. 

Trump told Comey in March 2017 that he would personally sue Christopher Steele and that “the cloud” around Russia kept the House from passing AHCA in March https://t.co/2udMOAVhzR pic.twitter.com/meryZZkpRC

— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) April 20, 2018

Steele authored the dossier, which Trump has claimed is “phony” and “fake.” The dossier was funded in part by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

Comey appeared on MSNBC a short time after the memos were made public, and was asked if he recalled the president talking about filing a lawsuit over the Steele dossier.

“I have some recollection of that,” Comey said, adding that he hadn’t read his own memos “in quite a while.”

“It rings a bell as I sit here,” he added.

The Justice Department on Thursday night sent lawmakers multiple memos that Comey wrote after his meetings with Trump.

The release of the memos coincides with a series of media appearances Comey is making for the release of his new book. Trump fired Comey last May.