Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Trump threatens sacked FBI boss with secret tapes
Bid to silence Comey Doubt recordings exist
DONALD Trump yesterday threatened to release secret tapes of his conversations with the FBI boss who he sacked.
It comes as sources close to James Comey say he believes he was fired for not bowing to President Trump’s demands to pledge loyalty to him. The FBI is probing Mr Trump’s election team’s alleged links to Russia. Yesterday, the President tweeted: “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press.” It is not clear if such recordings exist. Sources close to Mr Comey said he “is not worried about any tapes” Trump may hold. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said he was “not aware”that any recording was made but refused to deny that Mr Trump records talks with visitors. Mr Comey is said to believe his downfall began after he was asked to dinner in the White House in January. Mr Trump asked the FBI boss to pledge allegiance to him, but instead he said he would always be “honest”. The President asked if it would be “honest loyalty”, to which Mr Comey replied: “You will have that.” Mr Trump sacked Mr Comey on Tuesday, and later called him a “showboat” and “grandstander”. A source said: “Trump demands loyalty from anyone who works with or for him. The first sign they are not, they are gone. Comey tried to explain that in his role as FBI director his loyalty was to the American people. “His independence is vital to ensure no leader is left above the law. It was morally wrong for Trump to ask Comey for his loyalty.” After Mr Comey’s sacking, Mr Trump insisted the FBI boss initiated their dinner “because he wanted to stay on” as chief. The White House claimed Mr Comey was fired over his handling of an inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s use of email on an unsecured server.