The way in which the President communicated the request to Corney also is relevant to understanding the President's intent. When the President first learned about the FBI investigation into Flynn, he told McGahn, Bannon, and Priebus not to discuss the matter with anyone else in the White House. The next day, the President invited Corney for a one-on-one dinner against the advice of an aide who recommended that other White House officials also attend. At the dinner, the President asked Corney for " loyalty" and, at a different point in the conversation, mentioned that Flynn had judgment issues. When the President met with Corney the day after Flynn's termination- shortly after being told by Christie that firing Flynn would not end the Russia investigation-the President cleared the room, even excluding the Attorney General, so that he could again speak to Corney alone. The President's decision to meet one-on-one with Corney contravened the advice of the White House Counsel that the President should not communicate directly with the Department of Justice to avoid any appearance of interfering in law enforcement activities. And the President later denied that he cleared the room and asked Corney to " let[] Flynn go"- a denial that would have been unnecessary if he believed his request was a proper exercise of prosecutorial discretion.