The criticisms appeared to be a response to a news report Thursday night indicating that a White House official had asked the F.B.I. The report on Thursday night by CNN asserted that a White House official had called top leaders at the F.B.I. Mr. Priebus, according to the White House officials, then asked the men what they could do to rebut it publicly. on Friday declined to provide its account of those conversations and declined to comment on Mr. Trump’s Twitter statements. The official declined to say whether White House officials had reached out directly to Mr. Comey, Mr. McCabe or others.

Source: New York Times February 24, 2017 19:09 UTC