This is an important exchange.@jeffmason1 pushes again and again on Trump’s “tapes” tweet. Spicer won’t comment. (via @MSNBC) pic.twitter.com/PECJ9F1MzI
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 12, 2017
During Sean Spicer’s grand return to duty on Friday, Reuters’ Jeff Mason inquired about President Trump’s threat against James Comey. This question referred to the New York Times report about how Trump invited the then-FBI director to a private dinner and asked him to pledge his “loyalty.” (Comey had declined to do so and promised his “honesty.”) Trump responded with an accusation about Comey “leaking” the discussion and suggested that he had “tapes” of their private discussions. Comey sources have since told CNN that while he was “taken aback” by Trump’s request, he is “not worried about any tapes,” and Spicer was left to clean up the mess.
The above exchange was a striking one with Mason pressing Spicer on whether Trump actually recorded his conversations with Comey. The press secretary simply responded, “The President has nothing further to add on that.” Mason persisted while wondering aloud why Trump would tweet this, and Spicer repeated his answer three times.
Mason then asked, “Does he think it’s appropriate to threaten someone like Mr. Comey not to speak?” Spicer asserted that this was not a threat, and “the tweet speaks for itself.” He then moved onto the next subject. The baffling display was something we might see within the podium-riding extravaganza that will be this weekend’s Melissa McCarthy-hosted SNL episode.
Also of note — in a response to a question about whether Trump is “out of control,” Spicer shot back, “That’s frankly offensive.”
Reporter: Is Trump “out of control”?
Spicer: “That’s frankly offensive.” https://t.co/t8FroZPNxc
— CNN (@CNN) May 12, 2017