Doug Stanglin

USATODAY

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov denied Saturday that the dismissal of FBI director James Comey was discussed during his meeting last week with President Trump in the Oval Office, according to Russian news media.

"We have not touched this topic at all," Lavrov told reporters in Nicosia, according to the Russian news agency Interfax. He did not elaborate.

The New York Times reported Friday that Trump told Russian officials, including Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak that Comey was a "nut job," and that dismissing him meant the pressure of the FBI's Russia probe has been "taken off."

“I just fired the head of the FBI. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Trump said, according to a document summarizing the meeting that was read to the Times by an American official. “I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off.”

Trump added, “I’m not under investigation.” Trump fired Comey on May 9, one day before his meeting with the Russians.

The newspaper said that one official read the quotations to the newspaper and a second official confirmed the broad outlines of the discussion. The excerpts were transcribed as part of the standard note-taking process that occurs during official meetings, according to the newspaper.

White House officials have not denied the story, and stressed Trump and his staff had no collusion with Russia.