FBI PROBING
Agency chief makes admission before committee; says no evidence to back Obama wiretap claim
WASHINGTON
FEDERAL Bureau of Investigation director James Comey confirmed for the first time yesterday that the agency is investigating Russian interference in last year’s presidential election and notably Moscow’s possible collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign.
The FBI “is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election”, Comey told a hearing by the House Intelligence Committee.
“And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia’s efforts,” he said.
Comey’s disclosure confirmed longstanding reports that the FBI was probing the explosive charges that Trump’s stunning election victory over Hillary Clinton last November came on the back of Russian meddling.
Comey also shot down Trump’s tweeted claims that his predecessor, Barack Obama, had wiretapped the phones at Trump Tower in New York.
“With respect to the president’s tweets about alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have no information that supports those