Trump trolls Comey during House panel testimony
President Trump trolled FBI Director James Comey on Twitter during his appearance Monday at a House hearing investigating Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election and whether Trump campaign officials collaborated with Moscow.
“FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia,” said a tweet on the president’s official Twitter account, @POTUS.
The tweet referred to Rep. Trey Gowdy’s grilling of Comey at the House Intelligence Committee about who could have leaked classified documents about phone calls former national security adviser Michael Flynn made to the Russian ambassador.
“Did you brief President Obama on any calls involving Michael Flynn?” Gowdy (R-SC) asked.
“I’m not going to get into either that particular case or any conversations I had with the president. I can’t answer that,” he said, citing constraints against discussing classified information.
Trump also tweeted about the questioning of Michael Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, by Rep. Devin Nunes on whether Russia influenced the election.
He asked Rogers if he had evidence that “Russia cyber actors” changed vote tallies in several states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida and North Carolina.
“I have nothing generated by the national security industry,” Rogers answered.
Nunes (R-Calif.) then turned to Comey.
“Do you have any evidence at the FBI that any votes were changed in the states that I mentioned to Admiral Rogers?” he asked.
Comey said, “No.”
Trump crowed in his tweet: “The NSA and FBI tell Congress that Russia did not influence electoral process.”
But at the beginning of the hearing, Comey confirmed the FBI is investigating Russian tampering during the 2016 presidential election process and whether Trump campaign advisers had contact with Moscow.
The president spent much of the morning on his personal Twitter account before the House hearing blaming the Democrats and blasting assertions that his campaign officials collaborated with Russian agents, calling them “FAKE NEWS.”
“James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows it!”
Trump wrote on @realDonaldTrump, referring to statements made two weeks ago by the former director of national intelligence during the Obama years.
He added, “The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!”
Clapper, Obama’s director of national intelligence, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on March 5, “We had no evidence of such collusion.”
About two hours later, as lawmakers began to gather for the House hearing, Trump tweeted again.
“What about all of the contact with the Clinton campaign and the Russians? Also, is it true that the DNC would not let the FBI in to look?,” he wrote.
Minutes later, Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, responded.
“Mr. President, the Russians hacked our election and interfered. No one disputes this now, but you. This is what is called ‘fact,'” he wrote.
The US intelligence community agrees that the Russians meddled in the presidential election to help Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. And the FBI has been looking into any ties between Trump advisers and Russian agents during the campaign.