FBI probes Russia role in US presidential elections

WASHINGTON — FBI Director James Comey confirmed for the first time Monday that the agency was investigating Russian interference in last year’s US presidential election and notably Moscow’s possible collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign.

The FBI “is investigating the Russian government’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election,” Comey told a hearing of the House Intelligence Committee.

“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’s efforts,” he said.

Comey also contradicted claims made by Trump in a tweet more than two weeks ago that his residence at Trump Tower was wiretapped by former president Barack Obama during the presidential election campaign.

“The Department [of Justice] has no information to support these tweets,” he said.

The Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign. Big advantage in Electoral College & lost!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017

Comey’s disclosure confirmed longstanding reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was probing the explosive charges that Trump’s stunning election victory over Hillary Clinton last November came on the back of Russian meddling.

US intelligence chiefs said in January they were convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind that effort.

But they had not commented on whether they were examining links between members of Trump’s campaign and Russian officials.

Trump meanwhile tweeted that the Russian suspicions had been invented by the Democrats to distract attention from their electoral loss.

Republican committee chair Devin Nunes opened Monday’s hearing — the first public hearing into the issue — by saying the panel had “seen no evidence to date that officials from any campaign conspired with Russian agents.”

But Adam Schiff, the Democratic vice chair of the committee, detailed a list of alleged links and communications between the Trump team and Russia.

“Is it possible that all of these events and reports are completely unrelated, and nothing more than an entirely unhappy coincidence? Yes, it is possible,” he said.

“But it is also possible, maybe more than possible, that they are not coincidental, not disconnected and not unrelated, and that the Russians used the same techniques to corrupt US persons that they have employed in Europe and elsewhere.”

In one of a series of tweets Monday, Trump said that the “real story” was the leaking of classified information.

The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 20, 2017