Is Comey memo about beautiful Russian hookers some sort of smoking gun? (Plus bonus Tom Arnold)

In case you hadn’t heard, the (redacted) James Comey memos have been released to Congress and have already leaked to the press. The Associated Press, for example, thought this tidbit was of particular news value:

BREAKING: Comey memo: Trump said Vladimir Putin told him, 'We have some of the most beautiful hookers in the world'

— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) April 20, 2018

The Washington Post’s Philip Bump, though, thinks he might have found a smoking gun in that memo that might prove Trump has lied about his interactions with Vladimir Putin:

Trump on February 8, 2017 told Comey that Putin told him “we have some of the most beautiful hookers in the world.”

Unless I’m mistaken, they’d only officially spoken once at that point, in a call on Jan. 28. Putin talked about hookers in his first call with the new president?

— Philip Bump (@pbump) April 20, 2018

THIS THIS THIS. https://t.co/ddpOzzOvVQ

— Juliette Kayyem (@juliettekayyem) April 20, 2018

This is a HUGE revelation.

Trump admitted to Comey that he and Putin had talked AND that Trump & Putin had discussed hookers.

This admission was during the same period of time when Trump was publicly denying ever talking to Putin.

Wow! The Steele dossier looks spot on https://t.co/GK9iYNxI4j

— ☇RiotWomenn☇ (@riotwomennn) April 20, 2018

Why won’t anybody take Tom Arnold seriously?

Jeez @bpump for the 1000th tweet Putin-Trump speakerphone call during Pee Pee Tape preproduction meeting at Moscow Ritz 2013 Miss Universe. #MuellerKnows https://t.co/YDHO7Lox2w

— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) April 20, 2018

Literally the day prior, Trump had tweeted that he didn’t know Putin. https://t.co/R7OFha2r9U

— Philip Bump (@pbump) April 20, 2018

Did Comey actually remember Trump saying this? (Did Trump remember Putin saying it?)

Because literally days before this conversation, Putin made an identical remark in public about Russian prostitutes.

Putin: "they are the best in the world, of course."https://t.co/U78RdoE9Bh https://t.co/HUYTLunKDg

— Joel B. Pollak (@joelpollak) April 20, 2018

The Telegraph reported at the time:

Speaking at a press conference with Molodovia’s President Igor Dodon in the Kremlin on Tuesday, Mr. Putin said the [Christopher Steele] dossier was “an obvious fake” and ridiculed the suggestion that the Russian secret services “chase after every American billionaire”.

He also suggested Mr. Trump would not have fallen for a honey trap if one had been laid, asking: “He arrived here and immediately ran off to meet Moscow prostitutes?”

“This is an adult and, moreover, a man who for many years has organised beauty contests. He socialised with the most beautiful women in the world. I can hardly imagine he rushed to the hotel to meet our girls of lower social responsibility — even though they are the best in the world, of course.”

https://twitter.com/LDoren/status/987142743938879489

Maybe it’ll come up in future interviews on Comey’s book tour.

Or maybe Putin did bring up hookers on their phone call?

https://twitter.com/peterjhasson/status/987147055993847809

Hmm …

A couple of people have noted this interview with Putin: https://t.co/YPyeqrY3GJ

Possible Trump said something like “Putin says that…” and Comey misinterpreted?

— Philip Bump (@pbump) April 20, 2018

Stay tuned for blanket coverage of the Comey memos on your favorite cable news station!