The Manila Times

FBI confirms probe of Trump team ties to Russia

- AFP

WASHINGTON, D.C.: FBI chief James Comey dealt Donald Trump a double blow on Monday (Tuesday of the Democratic party hack.

Until Monday, only a small group of legislator­s has been briefed in secret on this issue by US intelligen­ce and law enforcemen­t, and the public had not heard directly from them.

Comey and Admiral Mike Rogers, director of the National Security believed Moscow aimed to hurt Clinton’s campaign and support Trump.

“Putin hated Secretary Clinton so was he had a clear preference to the person running against the person he hated so much,” Comey said.

“They wanted to hurt our democracy, hurt her, help him. I think, all early as December,” he said.

‘Nothing has changed’

But Comey’s unwillingn­ess to comment on specifics, or on unproven media reports of Trump aides’ contacts with Russian intelligen­ce, gave the White House room to defend its position - which is that the entire controvers­y was manufactur­ed by opponents to undermine Trump’s presidency.

- - DENCE of Trump-Russia collusion and there is NO EVIDENCE of a Trump-Russia scandal.”

Later, Trump spokesman Sean this testimony it’s clear nothing has changed. Senior intelligen­ce there is no evidence of a Trump/ Russia collusion.”

“Investigat­ing and having proof are different thing,” he added.

Likewise - in spite of Comey’s straightfo­rward rejection of Trump’s wiretappin­g allegation­s - the White House continued to cling to those claims.

Asked if Trump would withdraw the accusation and apologize to Obama, Spicer said that investigat­ions are “still ongoing” into the issue.

Independen­t probe sought

Monday’s hearing made clear the question of Russian interferen­ce in the election will continue to trouble the Trump administra­tion.

Both the House and Senate Intelligen­ce Committees will hold more public hearings in the coming weeks, as well as closed-door sessions with Comey, Rogers and other intelligen­ce on the probes.

But Democrats have expressed concerns that the White House and Republican­s would like to an independen­t probe.

from the work of an independen­t commission that can devote the staff and resources to this investigat­ion that we do not have, and that can be completely removed from any political considerat­ions,” said Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligen­ce Committee.

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