The Secret Service said Monday that it does not have any audio or transcripts of tapes recorded inside the White House since President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
The federal agency responded to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Wall Street Journal by informing the newspaper that it does not have tapes. The Secret Service response did not specify whether anyone else inside the White House has set up recording systems, and Trump has maintained secrecy about the possibility of having his own recordings.
Reporters have been pushing the White House in recent weeks to see if tapes exist containing private conversations between Trump and former FBI Director James Comey, who the president fired last month.
"I'll tell you about that maybe sometime in the very near future," Trump said Friday of the possibility of having tapes. "You're going to be very disappointed when you hear the answer, don't worry."
Trump generated curiosity about recordings last month on Twitter.
"James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" the president tweeted on May 12.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Monday that the president is waiting to announce whether he has any tapes.
"The president made clear in the Rose Garden last week that he would have an announcement shortly," Spicer said.
The Journal noted that past presidents have had the Secret Service manage White House recordings. Richard Nixon's recordings were even handled by the agency.