I never leaked materials in office: Former FBI director Comey

Former FBI Director has rejected US President Donald Trump's characterization of him as a "liar" and a "leaker," saying he never leaked classified materials while he was in office. 

"I never leaked in office," James Comey told Axios in an interview on Monday. "Nothing is coming from the people who know what they're talking about,” he added. 

The US president has previously branded Comey as a “liar” and “leaker," claiming that the ex-FBI director shared classified information and his leaks led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller.

Mueller, a former FBI director, has been running a high-profile investigation into allegations that Trump won the 2016 US presidential election against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton only because Moscow had rigged the November election in his favor.

On Thursday, Comey denied leaking classified information improperly when he shared memos documenting his meetings with Trump and a friend that allegedly handed the content of conversations during the meetings to the media.

The memos, which Comey even wrote about in his bestselling book ‘A Higher Loyalty’, described pressure felt by the president as he tried to withdraw from the FBI investigation of his campaign's alleged contacts with Russia. The memos also revealed the content of conversations with former national security adviser Michael Flynn and described Comey's first encounter with Trump.

The president tweeted that Comey "should be prosecuted" last week over the memos' release.

PressTV-Comey is 'either very sick or very dumb'

US President Donald Trump rebukes James Comey after he denied leaking memos inappropriately, saying that the former FBI director was “either very sick or very dumb.”

"James Comey is a proven LEAKER & LIAR. Virtually everyone in Washington thought he should be fired for the terrible job he did-until he was, in fact, fired. He leaked CLASSIFIED information, for which he should be prosecuted," Trump said on Twitter.

Trump fired Comey in May last year as he was busy heading an investigation into the Republican president’s ties with the Kremlin during the 2016 campaign and transition. Comey later testified that he believed Trump had fired him because he was unhappy with the Russian probe.

Trump also claimed that the ex-FBI director's leaks led to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller, denouncing the process of his selection as illegitimate.

Mueller's probe has expanded to include whether Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey, a claim the president denies.

US intelligence agencies claim Russia-linked hackers provided WikiLeaks with damaging information -- in the form of thousands of hacked emails -- about Clinton to skew the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump.

Trump has repeatedly denied allegations that his campaign colluded with Russians and has condemned the investigations. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also denied the allegations.

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