Trump denies obstruction of justice, rejects tape claims

Donald Trump has strongly denied allegations that he has obstructed the FBI investigation into links between his campaign and Russia, and also said he does not have tapes of his conversations with former director of the agency, James Comey.

Comey was fired as head of the organisation in the midst of the probe into members of Trump’s team during last year’s presidential election, testifying to the Senate intelligence committee that the President encouraged him to drop the investigation into Michael Flynn.

Trump suggested last month he had tapes of conversations he and Comey had discussing the probe, but on Thursday categorically denied that was the case.

In an interview with Fox and Friends which will air on Friday, Trump denied that any of his associates had any links to Russia.

"Look there has been no obstruction, there has been no collusion," Trump said.

The US President also said via Twitter on Thursday that he does not have any of the recordings previously mentioned.

"I have no idea whether there are 'tapes' or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings," he wrote.

The constant allegations of collusion with Russia have cast a dark shadow over Trump’s first five months in the Oval, and the investigation has stepped up a notch since former FBI director Robert Mueller was appointed as a special counsel last month.