The White House has denied reports that President Donald Trump asked fired FBI Director James Comey to pledge loyalty to him.

Press secretary Sean Spicer rejected US media reports that the president sounded out Mr Comey at a private White House dinner in January.

According to the newspaper, the now-former FBI director said he would offer the president honesty, but not loyalty.

Mr Trump has faced a backlash for dismissing Mr Comey on Tuesday.

The FBI probe and parallel congressional investigations into alleged Russian political meddling, and whether any Trump campaign officials colluded with the Kremlin, have dogged his young presidency.

In Friday's daily briefing, Mr Spicer refused to comment on questions about whether Mr Trump had been making surreptitious recordings in the White House.

Mr Trump tweeted hours earlier that Mr Comey had "better hope there are no tapes" of their conversations.

Mr Spicer denied the tweet was a threat.

"The president has nothing further to add on that," he told reporters repeatedly when pressed about the post. "The tweet speaks for itself".

However, Mr Comey believes "if there is a tape, there is nothing he is worried about", a source told CNN.

Mr Trump's comments provoked fresh comparisons between his administration and that of disgraced President Richard Nixon, who famously recorded conversations, speeding his downfall during the Watergate scandal.

The top Democrats on the House judiciary and oversight committees wrote to the White House on Friday demanding copies of any recordings.

John Conyers and Elijah Cummings' letter noted "it is a crime to intimidate or threaten any potential witness with the intent to influence, delay or prevent their official testimony".

Mr Comey has declined an invitation to testify to the Senate Intelligence Committee next Tuesday.

President Trump told NBC News that Mr Comey requested the one-on-one dinner, but the former FBI director reportedly maintains it was the president who invited him.

Mr Comey had said he was "uneasy" before the dinner, according to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

He told MSNBC on Friday that he had spoken to Mr Comey before the White House meal.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by BBC NEWS

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