Intelligence Heads Say No Pressure From Trump on Russia Probe

But they wouldn't confirm or deny if the president asked them to intervene
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 7, 2017 12:44 PM CDT
Intelligence Heads Say No Pressure From Trump on Russia Probe
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats gives his statement during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Two top intelligence officials say they never felt pressured by President Trump to intervene in investigations on possible Russian collusion with the Trump campaign—though they refused to say whether Trump had at least asked them to do so. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers were questioned Wednesday by the Senate Intelligence Committee, CNN reports. According to NBC News, there were reports Tuesday that Trump had asked both men to publicly say they hadn't seen any evidence of collusion and asked Coats specifically to ask former FBI Director James Comey to ease off the investigation.

Rogers told the committee he hadn't been asked to do anything he felt was "illegal, immoral, unethical, or inappropriate." And Coats refused to discuss it, saying he is "not prepared to go down that road right now." Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner was frustrated that both men said they didn't feel pressure from the Trump administration but wouldn't specify what was discussed during conversations with the president, CBS News reports. He said he left the hearing "with more questions than when I went in." Also being interviewed by the committee Wednesday were acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. (More Dan Coats stories.)

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