| Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and CIA Director Mike Pompeo wait to testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington |
The man who took over from ousted FBI Director James Comey declined to say on Thursday whether he ever heard Comey tell Donald Trump that the president was not a target of an investigation into possible collusion between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
In testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, acting FBI director Andrew McCabe also pledged that he would inform the panel of any effort by the White House or others to interfere with the agency’s probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
McCabe testified in place of Comey, who Trump dismissed as FBI director on Tuesday in an action that has roiled Washington. Democrats have accused the Republican president of trying to foil the FBI’s probe into Russian meddling.
Republican Committee Chairman Richard Burr asked McCabe whether he ever heard Comey tell Trump the president was not the subject of investigation. McCabe sidestepped the question, saying he could not comment on an ongoing investigation.
In his letter firing Comey on Tuesday, Trump wrote, “While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the Bureau.”
US intelligence agencies concluded in a January report that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an effort to disrupt the election that included hacking into Democratic Party emails and leaking them, with the aim of helping Trump.
Leaders of the US intelligence agencies, including Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and CIA chief Mike Pompeo, testifying on Thursday said they agreed with that finding. Moscow has denied any such interference and the Trump administration denies allegations of collusion with Russia.