Flashback: Putin publicly bragged that 'Russia had the best hookers' last year -- in defense of Trump

Russian president Vladimir Putin publicly boasted about Russian prostitutes last year, around the same time then-FBI director James Comey says President Donald Trump told him they had privately discussed the same topic.

House Republicans forced the release of Comey's memos from last year, and two from January 2017 reveal Trump twice brought up Russian prostitutes as part of his lingering obsession with the Steele dossier.

"There were no prostitutes, there were never prostitutes," Trump interjected in one Jan. 7, 2017, conversations, referencing claims made about him consorting with Russian women during a 2013 visit to Moscow.

On Jan. 27, 2017, Comey says Trump told him "the hookers thing is nonsense," but then later said "Putin had told him, 'we have some of the most beautiful hookers in the world.'"

Putin publicly addressed the dossier on Jan. 17, 2017, saying the former British spy's research was "an obvious fake."

The Russian president also expressed doubts that Trump would not have fallen for a honey trap, and insisted the Kremlin did not attempt to compromise "every American billionaire" who visited.

"He arrived here and immediately ran off to meet Moscow prostitutes?" Putin said.

Then he made claims that line up closely with Trump's description of their private conversation.

"This is an adult and, moreover, a man who for many years has organized beauty contests," Putin said. "He socialized 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."

Putin then defended Trump using the same language the president has used since his inauguration.

"We are witnessing an ongoing acute political struggle in the U.S., whose task is to undermine the legitimacy of the president-elect," Putin said. "The people doing this are doing enormous damage to American national interests."

Trump and Putin spoke by phone Jan. 29, 2017, from the Oval Office, two days after the president discussed Russian prostitutes with Comey in the White House.