Sean Spicer joked with journalists over drinks in Jerusalem that they had to take shots before asking work-related questions

White House press secretary Sean Spicer has been showing signs of strain under his job in recent weeks, and joked with reporters over drinks last week in Jerusalem that they had to take shots if they asked him work-related questions.

Spicer reportedly made the comment at a rooftop bar among a group of White House staffers and reporters with whom he was determined not to discuss work, Politico reported Tuesday.

"The most we've seen of Sean [Spicer] was at a rooftop bar in Jerusalem," one reporter who attended the event told the website. "But he refused to take work-related questions and if you asked him a work-related question, then you had to take a shot."

According to Politico, Spicer's request was a joke and the journalists did not end up taking any shots.

But it's not the first such anecdote to come out of Spicer's trip abroad - he was also left out of President Donald Trump's meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, ostensibly due to space constraints.

Spicer, a devout Catholic, had reportedly been eager to meet the Pope and was angry about being excluded.

"Wow. That's all he wanted," one source close to the White House told CNN.

Spicer is again expected to take on the role of communications director in addition to his press secretary duties, following the resignation of Michael Dubke this week.