httpss://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr5xCsqqAOU
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer refused to answer questions Friday about whether t are recording devices in the White House or if the president recorded a conversation with fired FBI Director James Comey, after the president tweeted that Comey had “Better hope that t are no ‘tapes'” of conversations between the two of them.
The White House has claimed Mr. Trump fired Comey because he lost the confidence of rank-and-file FBI employees and because of a Tuesday recommendation from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to fire Comey over his handling of the Clinton email investigation.
CBS News confirmed a New York Times story Thursday that during their dinner in January, that Mr. Trump asked whether Comey would be loyal to him, and that Comey pledged only that he would be honest.
Spicer also said he did not know whether the president consulted White House legal counsel before asking Comey if he was under investigation, a question the president asked “Because the narrative continues to be perpetuated” that Mr. Trump has ties to Russia.
‘” “It’s interesting how the story changed,” Spicer said of the former DNI. The president suggested Friday morning over Twitter that maybe “It would be best to cancel” the White House press briefings, after Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders gave an account of the decision to fire Comey that was in direct conflict with what Mr. Trump said later.
“I don’t know,” Spicer said when asked whether the president asked White House lawyers ahead of time whether it was appropriate to ask Comey if he was under investigation.
The president decided to ask Comey whether he was under investigation “Because the narrative continues to be perpetuated” that Trump has ties to Russia, Spicer said.
“The president has nothing further to add on that,” Spicer said repeatedly, declining to answer whether the conversation with Comey was taped or whether the White House has recording devices.