In a sarcastic outburst, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday scoffed at former FBI Director James Comey’s disclosure of his conversations with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying the move has made Mr. Comey eligible for political asylum in Russia.
Mr. Putin likened Mr. Comey to NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who has been living in Russia since being granted asylum in 2013.
“It looks weird when the chief of a security agency records his conversation with the commander-in-chief and then hands it over to media via his friend,” Mr. Putin said. “What’s the difference then between the FBI Director and Mr. Snowden? In that case he’s more of a rights campaigner defending a certain position than the security agency chief.”
On an acerbic note, he added that if Mr. Comey “faces some sort of persecution in connection with that, we are ready to offer political asylum in Russia to him as well”. The remarks reflected Putin’s annoyance with the investigations into links between Trump campaign officials and Russia.
