Trump warns Comey against leaking talks
ALLOUT WAR? US President threatens to cancel press briefings at White House
President Donald Trump threatened sacked FBI director James Comey with “tapes” of their conversations to prevent him from revealing damaging information about their exchanges.
Trump also threatened to cancel news briefing at the White House as he tried to assume control of the media coverage of Comey’s firing for reasons that have continued to change.
After Comey was dismissed on Tuesday, the White House first attributed the decision to recommendations from the justice department. It was subsequently conceded it was Trump’s own decision.
Trump took full responsibility for it in an interview with NBC news on Thursday, calling Comey a “showboat” and a “grandstander”.
As Trump sought to cap the story, blaming Comey’s dismissal on his apparent unsuitability for the job, an alternative account began emerging .
The New York Times reported Trump demanded loyalty from the FBI chief just seven days after assuming office. According to an account of the conversation which Comey conveyed to some associates, he told the president he could not give that pledge.
Comey told Trump he would be “honest” with him, to which, according to the published account, Trump asked if it could “honest loyalty”. The FBI director reportedly said yes.