White House spokesman Sean Spicer dismissed press reports on Friday that President Trump asked former FBI Director James Comey to pledge his loyalty to Trump.
“In the dinner that the president had with James Comey earlier in January, did the president implore him to pledge his loyalty to the president?” Spicer was asked. “Is that true?”
“No,” Spicer replied.
When asked if Trump sees loyalty as an important quality for the next FBI director to have, Spicer rejected that premise.
“I think the president wants loyalty to this country and to the rule of law,” he said.
Several media outlets reported that Trump insisted on loyalty from Comey, a request that made Comey uncomfortable. Democrats have said they believe Comey was pushing hard on the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the U.S. election, and that Trump may have fired Comey before he discovered links between Russia and Trump’s campaign.
However, former officials and other Democrats have said there is so far no evidence of any collusion involving Trump.
