Washington (CNN) Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has told officials he is unhappy with the way the White House handled the firing of FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN.

Justice Department spokesperson Sarah Flores, however, said Rosenstein did not threaten to resign over Comey's ouster, contrary to The Washington Post and other press reports. Flores said she spoke with Rosenstein.

Comey was addressing employees in the FBI's Los Angeles field office when a television screen tuned to Fox News flashed a banner saying he had resigned. He had not, and he took it as a joke. But soon thereafter, CNN on another television monitor nearby reported that he had been fired.

Rosenstein also is unhappy about the fact that White House officials have tried to pin the Comey firing on him, using his reputation as cover for how it was done, the sources said.

Vice President Mike Pence and deputy White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday repeatedly cited Rosenstein's memo on Comey recommending the FBI director's removal, leveraging his reputation and bipartisan Senate confirmation vote

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