FBI director Comey confirms investigation into Trump ties with Russia
Updated : 12:46
Head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation James Comey confirmed that an probe into possible links between President Donald Trump’s election campaign and the Kremlin is ongoing.
Comey appeared in front of the House of Representatives’ intelligence committee on Monday, after months of antagonism between the White House and intelligence agencies over the allegations of Russian interference in the election.
“I have been authorised by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election,” Comey said.
“And that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia.
US intelligence reports have concluded that Russia attempted to influence the result of election in November 2016. Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to resign just weeks after taking office after it was revealed he had contact with Russian officials in the lead-up to the vote.
Trump provided a running commentary on Twitter addressing Comey’s words on Sunday, labelling the Russia accusations as an excuse for Democrats.
“The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!” he said.
“James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence POTUS colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!”
Following Trump’s claims that members of the Obama administration were involved in wiretapping rooms during his election campaign, Comey added that the FBI have found nothing to that effect.
“I have no information that supports those tweets, and we have looked carefully inside; the DoJ has asked me to share with you that the answer is the same for the DoJ in all its components,” Comey said.