The Trump administration has refused to elaborate on the president’s insinuation that he recorded conversations between himself and the former FBI Director James Comey.
Press secretary Sean Spicer declined to answer multiple questions with anything further than essentially “no comment” when he was asked at the press briefing Monday if there are tapes of conversations Donald Trump has had in the White House.
(Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
“I think I made it clear last week that the president has nothing further on that,” Spicer said. “I was very clear the president would have nothing further on that last week. I made it clear what the president’s position is on that issue.”
When pressed further, Spicer said: “The president has made it clear what his position is. As I’ve said, the president has made it clear what his position is. I’ve answered the question over and over again the same way.” (RELATED: Trump Implies There Is A Recording Of His Conversations With Comey)
Senators want Trump's Comey tapes — if they exist. Will the WH comply?
Spicer: Trump "has nothing further on that" https://t.co/iQV2e6c4Eh
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 15, 2017
Though he argued that the president has been “very clear” on his position on the potential recordings, Trump has not commented on it beyond his tweet that cautioned Comey against “leaking to the press.”
Spicer said this of the tweet: “That’s his position. He has nothing further to add.”
James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017
“One of the things that’s important with respect to that, I think there was clearly bipartisan support that Jim Comey wasn’t up to the job,” Spicer added. “The president has every right to fire a person because he believed Director Comey lacked the judgment and the decision-making skills, and wasn’t up to the job. The president’s reaction to this has been completely misrepresented.”
“The actions he took, he knew could be detrimental to himself, but none of those things mattered because the president had to do the right thing for the American people because he believes Jim Comey was the wrong man for that position.” (RELATED: The White House Won’t Confirm Or Deny If There Are Recording Devices In The Oval Office)