Trump denies being Russian agent

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday denied he ever worked for Russia against U.S. interests, addressing an extraordinary question that has haunted his presidency and shows no sign of going away.

Speaking from the South Lawn, Trump issued a flat denial: “I never worked for Russia.” He blasted former FBI and Justice Department officials and repeated his claim that the investigation into his ties to Moscow is a whole big fat hoax.”

Trump raised eyebrows over the weekend when he didn’t directly answer the Russia question in an interview with Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, a personal friend.

He was asked about a New York Times report that law enforcement officials began investigating, in 2017, whether Trump had been working on behalf of Russia against U.S. interests.

In his chat with Pirro, Trump said the question was “insulting” but did not directly deny it.

Monday’s clear denial demonstrated the pressure Trump faces as the special counsel’s Russia investigation shows possible signs of wrapping up. After two years in office, the president is still being questioned about whether he was compromised by Russian intelligence agencies.

On Monday, Trump also defended his decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, a move that has drawn special counsel Robert Mueller’s scrutiny.

“He was a bad cop and he was a dirty cop,” Trump said of Comey.

The president also called former acting FBI director Andrew Mccabe a “liar.” Mccabe made the decision to open the counterintelligence component of the investigation of Trump.

Speaking more broadly of FBI leadership at the time, Trump used the terms “known scoundrels” and “dirty cops.”