The issue focused on how some presidents perceived their subordinates' loyalty, particularly when they worked on or around the Oval Office, and whether those perceptions influenced the way they treated them on trips or other events when in office.


The White House and its lawyers later said that they were unaware of any investigation of such behavior by the so-called 24-hour rule or any other policies barring presidents from making political remarks about employees working outside the White House.


The inquiry concluded that the decision by the president