Comey’s Source On ‘The Tapes’ Was Told They Were False But Didn’t Tell Comey

Thursday’s release of the Mueller report reveals that former FBI Director James Comey’s source was told that compromising tapes of President Trump were fake – but the source chose not to tell Comey.

Russian businessman Giorgi Rtskhiladze texted former personal attorney to the president Michael Cohen on October 30, 2016, saying “Stopped flow of tapes from Russia but not sure if there’s anything else. Just so you know…” according to the report released Thursday morning after Attorney General William Barr’s press conference.  Barr reiterated during the press conference that special counsel Robert Mueller had found no evidence implicating Trump or any members of his campaign of Russian collusion.

But though Rtskhiladze was told that the tapes were fake, he did not tell Cohen.

The tapes mentioned referred to compromising tapes of President Donald Trump rumored to have been held by Crocus Group, a Russian real estate firm which had helped host the 2013 Miss Universe Pageant when it took place in Russia.

Cohen reportedly brought the tapes to Trump’s attention after receiving Rtskhiladze’s texts. Trump did not want First Lady Melania to believe the stories and asked Comey to investigate the matter.

“He brought up what he called the ‘golden showers thing’ … adding that it bothered him if there was ‘even a one percent chance’ his wife, Melania, thought it was true,” Comey wrote in his 2018 book, “A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership,” according to the New York Post.

“He just rolled on, unprompted, explaining why it couldn’t possibly be true, ending by saying he was thinking of asking me to investigate the allegation to prove it was a lie. I said it was up to him.”