Spicer Shuts Down Questions on Trump Tweet During Friday Press Briefing

By Common Dreams staff / Common Dreams

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer refused multiple times during the daily press briefing to clarify President Donald Trump’s Friday morning tweets, saying he had “nothing further to add” when asked about Trump’s cryptic warning to former FBI director James Comey.

Watch:

Spicer likewise demurred when asked if there are “recording devices in the Oval Office,” and later said he was “not aware” of audio recordings of the January 27th dinner between Trump and Comey.

Regarding White House audio recordings of the January 27th Trump/Comey dinner. Press Sec. Sean Spicer tells me, “I’m not aware of that.”

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) May 12, 2017

Spicer does not answer if the White House, or Trump, is taping conversations in the Oval Office.

— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 12, 2017

Sean Spicer has given some firm denials in this press briefing. In questions about whether Trump tapes conversations, he didn’t deny.

— Matt Viser (@mviser) May 12, 2017

The press secretary also claimed Trump’s “tapes” tweet—which has raised abundant questions—”speaks for itself.”

Meanwhile, when probed on whether Trump really wanted to cancel the White House press briefings (another threat he tweeted Friday morning), Spicer said the president was “dismayed” at how the media “parses every little word and make it more of a game of gotcha.”

WH spokesman complains that “every word is picked apart” by the press covering him.

Yep. #thatshowitworks #wordsmatter #journalism101

— Kevin Baron (@DefenseBaron) May 12, 2017

Trump might cancel daily briefing because he’s ‘dismayed’ that the press ‘parses every little word’ — and no, I didn’t just make this up.

— Glenn Thrush (@GlennThrush) May 12, 2017