US President Donald Trump's personal lawyer plans to file a complaint early next week about former FBI Director James Comey's disclosure of conversations with the president, a person close to the legal team said on Friday.
Lawyer Marc Kasowitz will file the complaint with the Justice Department's inspector general and will also make a "submission" to the Senate Judiciary and Senate Intelligence committees about Comey's testimony, said the source, who declined to be identified because the matter was not public.
Comey, who was fired by Trump in May, delivered a scathing indictment of the president on Thursday at a congressional hearing in which he accused Trump of trying to block the investigation into Flynn.
Kasowitz disputed those points and attacked Comey for leaking "privileged communications" to the media.
Legal experts have questioned Kasowitz's contention that Trump's private encounters with Comey should be considered privileged communications.
Agree to Testify Under Oath
Denying accusations by Comey that he tried to block an investigation into a former national security adviser, Trump said he was willing to give his version of events under oath.
Asked by a reporter if he had told Comey to drop a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into former top aide Michael Flynn, Trump said, "I didn't say that."
"I hardly know the man. I'm not going to say I want you to pledge allegiance. Who would do that?" Trump said at joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
Asked if he would be willing to go under oath to give his version of the interactions with Comey, Trump replied, “100 percent.”
He said he would be happy to speak to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating allegations that Russia interfered with the 2016 US presidential election and colluded with Trump's campaign.
I would be glad to tell him exactly what I just told you.
In the congressional hearing, Comey did not disclose any links between Trump advisers and alleged Russian meddling.
Trump stopped short of saying that Comey lied under oath.
Comey's testimony added fuel to critics' accusations that Trump's actions around the Russia probe might have amounted to obstruction of justice.
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