President Trump refused to comment on whether he records private conversations in the White House during an interview airing Saturday on Fox News when asked about it point blank.
A New York Times report on Thursday said Trump asked FBI Director James Comey, who he fired on Tuesday, to declare his loyalty to him. Afterwards, Trump suggested that he might be recording his private encounters. “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” Trump tweeted Friday morning.
Trump fired Comey on Tuesday, and some critics of the decision are concerned the president did it because of the FBI’s investigation into possible ties between Trump campaign’s and Russia.
“What about the idea that in the tweet you said that there might be tape recordings?” asked host Judge Jeanine Pirro.
“Well, that I can’t talk about,” Trump replied. He added: “I won’t talk about that. All I want is for Comey to be honest and I hope he will be and I’m sure he will be, I hope.”
White House press secretary Sean Spicer already chose not to confirm or deny the existence of secret recordings of conversations between Trump and Comey when asked about it during the White House press briefing on Friday.
“The president has nothing further to add on that,” Spicer said when asked about Trump’s tweet. He then refused to comment when asked why Trump sent the tweet or if the White House has recording devices in the residence or the West Wing.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday that while leading his business empire from Trump Tower in New York City, Trump occasionally used one or more recording devices to tape phone conversations, former high-level employees and a former associate said.
While the Trump Organization didn’t immediately return the Wall Street Journal’s request for comment, Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s longtime personal attorney said he isn’t aware of any taped conversations. “In the decade that I worked for Mr. Trump, I have never seen a recording device attached to his phone, nor am I aware of any occasion where he taped a conversation,” he said, according to the report.
According to a Washington Examiner report on Friday, these White House tapes, if they exist, would be subject to government record-keeping laws.
Pirro also asked Trump to verify if the Times report about him requesting a loyalty pledge of Comey was true.
“No. No, I didn’t, but I don’t think it would be a bad question to ask,” Trump said after acknowledging he read the article. “I think loyalty to the country – loyalty to the U.S. is important. You know, it depends on how you define loyalty … I don’t know how it got out there because I didn’t ask that question.”
