The White House labeled a report that claimed the Trump administration tried to stop the former acting attorney general from testifying against it as "100 percent false."
During Tuesday's daily press briefing, White House press secretary Sean Spicer commented on The Washington Post's story about Sally Yates, who briefly served as acting attorney general during the early days of President Donald Trump's time in the Oval Office.
Citing letters sent to the White House, the Post claimed the executive branch tried to block Yates from testifying in front of the House Intelligence Committee regarding its investigation into whether the Trump campaign had any ties to Russia.
"I hope she testifies," Spicer said. "I look forward to it."
"The report in The Washington Post is 100 percent false. The letters they frankly publish on their website all back up everything I just read."
Later in the briefing, Spicer was asked again about the story. He read directly from a letter sent to the White House.
"The letter that her attorney sent literally says, 'if we do not receive a response by March 27 at 10 a.m., I will conclude that the White House does not assert executive privilege over the matters with respect to hearings or otherwise.' I don't think he can be any clearer than that."
Translated, that meant if the White House did not respond by the date and time noted, Yates would testify in front of the House committee.
Yates was supposed to appear in front of the panel this week, but committee chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, a California Republican, canceled the hearing.
It was reported early Tuesday all of the committee's meetings for this week have been canceled in the wake of Nunes' revelations last week regarding intelligence that was allegedly collected on Trump and his team.
Yates was the deputy attorney general under former President Barack Obama. She became acting AG under Trump after former AG Loretta Lynch stepped down, but she was fired by the Trump administration after saying she would not enforce a travel ban order signed by the president in January.
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