Intel duo: No pressure
Two top US intelligence officials testified Wednesday that they had never been “pressured” to intervene in any investigation, but refused to answer questions about whether President Trump had asked them to back off a probe into Russian meddling in the presidential election.
“I have never been pressured, I’ve never felt pressure to intervene or interfere in any way with shaping intelligence in a political way or in relationship to an ongoing investigation,” Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said during a sometimes heated Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.
National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers told the senators that “to the best of my recollection, I have never been directed to do anything I believe to be illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate. And to the best of my recollection, during that same period of service, I do not recall ever feeling pressured to do so.”
In an especially tense exchange, Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) grilled Rogers for specific details of conversations he had with the president.
“I feel it is inappropriate,” Rogers responded.
“What you feel isn’t relevant,” King shot back. “What you feel isn’t the answer.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) im- plored both officials to clear up allegations that Trump had asked to derail the investigation.
But Coats said he didn’t think it was “appropriate for me to address” in “a public session” discussions he had with the president.
Near the end of the nearly three-hour inquiry, a visibly frustrated Warner concluded, “I come out of this hearing with more questions than when I went in.”
Both Coats and Rogers said they were willing to testify in a classified setting, but would first have to check with the White House.
The Washington Post on Tuesday reported that Coats told associates in March that Trump asked him if he could intervene with then-FBI chief James Comey to get the bureau to back off its investigation into Michael Flynn, who was fired as national security adviser after hiding his communications with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak from White House officials.
The citing of classified conversations by Coats and Rogers, as well as the other officials — including acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — riled the senators.
At one point, McCabe was asked to describe conversations he had with Comey about Trump urging him to curtail the investigation.
“I think I’ll let Director Comey speak for himself tomorrow,” McCabe said.