President Trump warned former FBI Director James Comey in early May that he better "hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press." The president stoked curiosity further Friday, telling reporters, "I'll tell you about that maybe sometime in the very near future." But in response to a freedom of information request submitted by The Wall Street Journal, the Secret Service says that if there is a tape out there, they aren't the ones who have it.
The agency's response to a freedom of information request submitted by The Wall Street Journal doesn't exclude the possibility that recordings could have been created by another entity.
The Secret Service handled recording systems within the White House for past presidents, including presidents Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. [The Wall Street Journal]
Evidence is mounting that there aren't any tapes. Author Timothy L. O'Brien wrote in Bloomberg on Monday that a decade ago, Trump threatened reporters by telling them that they were being recorded while in Trump Tower, but under oath he admitted his office was not, in fact, "equipped to tape-record." Trump additionally told reporters Friday that they would be "very disappointed when you hear the answer [to the tape question], don't worry."
Comey, for his part, told the Senate last week: "Lordy, I hope there are tapes."