Two top officials of the US intelligence community on Wednesday told the Senate that they never felt pressured by President Donald Trump to downplay or end the FBI investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
"In the three-plus years that I have been the director of the National Security Agency, to the best of my recollection, I have never been directed to do anything I believe to be illegal, immoral, unethical or inappropriate", Rogers told the committee.
Kasowitz, recently hired as Trump's outside counsel for matters related to the Russian Federation probe, insisted that Trump "never, in form or substance, directed or suggested that Mr. Comey stop investigating anyone, including suggesting that Mr. Comey 'let [ousted national security director] Michael Flynn go.'" Comey, under oath, testified that he believed Trump was directing him to end the probe into Flynn. And Coats refused to discuss it, saying he is "not prepared to go down that road right now".
House Speaker Paul Ryan defended President Donald Trump's interactions with fired FBI Director James Comey during a press conference Thursday, as a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing with Comey continued just across Capitol Hill. What's - what you feel isn't the answer. "But I am more than willing to sit before this committee during its investigative process in a closed session and answer your questions".
Mr Comey said his distrust of Mr Trump prompted him to take meticulous notes immediately after each of their nine discussions this year. In that testimony, Comey said that Trump demanded his "loyalty" and directly pushed him to "lift the cloud" of investigation by declaring publicly the president was not a target of the FBI probe into his campaign's Russian Federation ties. I'm going to start with you. "What you feel isn't the answer".
None of the four witnesses provided solid legal rationales for their refusal to provide answers on this front, and they did not say that the president had invoked executive privilege.
Trump has consistently pushed back against suggestions that his campaign coordinated with Russian Federation and says the investigations into the matter are a hoax. McCabe asserted that "It would not be appropriate for me sir to discuss issues that are potentially within the purview of the special counsel's investigation". The veteran Republican John McCain said it was "Orwellian" that it was possible it read in the Washington Post about extraordinary pressure on intelligence chiefs from the president, which McCain said was "more than disturbing if true", but not to get clear answers in a formal Senate hearing.
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As Coats repeatedly said that he would not answer their questions in public, he added that he would answer in a classified session.
Warner said he was "disappointed" with the officials' answers. Trump himself was expected to dispute Comey's claims that the president demanded loyalty and asked the FBI director to drop the investigation into Flynn, according to a person close to the president's legal team who demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss legal strategy.
"Well, I think your unwillingness to answer a very basic question speaks volumes", Heinrich said.
Bars in Washington are opening early to allow patrons to imbibe while watching Comey get grilled, with at least one bar offering to buy a round of drinks on the house every time Trump tweets about Comey's testimony.
"I didn't do it myself for a variety of reasons", he said, instead asking a friendly law professor to share his written recollection of those conversations with a reporter.
When asked at the United States congressional hearing why he was sacked, Comey said he did not know for sure.
Ryan acknowledged it was not appropriate for Trump to ask for Comey's "loyalty," but said he was not ready to draw conclusions.
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