Story highlights McCabe has come under public criticism by Trump

The news came as the Justice Department said it did not preserve months of messages due to a glitch

Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump denied Tuesday that FBI Director Christopher Wray threatened to resign in the wake of pressure from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to make staffing changes among the senior ranks at the FBI.

Sessions communicated to Wray, who was hand-picked by Trump and sworn in in August, that he needed a fresh start with his senior team at the FBI, a source familiar with the conversation told CNN. Sessions specifically suggested the bureau's deputy director, Andrew McCabe, and its top lawyer, James Baker, should go.

It is not clear if Sessions explicitly told Wray to fire the two men or simply reassign them, according to the source. Wray, in turn, threatened to quit if McCabe was removed or reassigned from his post. Baker was reassigned late last year.

Asked Tuesday about reports of Wray's threat to quit, Trump said: "He didn't at all. He did not even a little bit. Nope. And he's gonna do a good job."

Read More