FBI Director James Comey beat back questions about the continuing federal probe into Russian interference in the US elections, as senators tried to pry any bit of information out of him Wednesday.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, placed a target squarely on President Donald Trump, asking Comey during a Senate judiciary committee hearing if he was investigating the President as part of the probe.
But Comey, again, said he would not answer one way or another.
CNN has no reporting showing that Trump himself is a direct subject of the FBI probe.
Blumenthal later asked if Comey would commit to explaining the Trump-Russia probe the same way he explained the Clinton email investigation when it closed. Comey said he would push for a public explanation, but said it was not up to him.
Sen. Al Franken, a Minnesota Democrat, asked Comey if he could explain what the FBI was investigating regarding former Trump adviser Roger Stone’s contacts with Guccifer 2.0 — an online operator determined by US intelligence to be Russian hackers.
Comey said he would not say one way or another.
At points, Comey’s responses sounded much like the same answers he gave the House intelligence committee in March — a string of “I won’t answer that” statements. Which is the reason that House Russia investigators asked Comey to return Thursday for a closed-door briefing where, they hope, he will be able to answer some of their questions.
The one thing Comey had no trouble answering? Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley asked Comey if he was the one responsible for the many leaks coming out on the Trump campaign and Russia.
Comey responded, “No.”
