By Thomas McKinless and John Bennett

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest danced around a dispute between Apple and the Justice Department about access to an iPhone used by a gunman in the San Bernardino, Calif., mass shooting. Earnest did not say whether President Barack Obama believes the company should grant law enforcement access to the phone, but he did tell reporters Justice Department officials are not asking Apple to redesign its devices or build a “backdoor” into them.