WATCH: Intelligence Director Refuses to Confirm or Deny Trump Asked Him to Push Back Reports of Collusion
‘Not Appropriate’
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats Tuesday morning refused to confirm or deny Monday night’s Washington Post bombshell report that President Donald Trump repeatedly asked him to publicly deny the existence of any evidence of collusion between Trump, his campaign, and Russia. Director Coats, a former U.S. Senator, Congressman, and Ambassador, was asked by fellow Republican, senator John McCain, if the report were true.Â
“I have always believed, given the nature of my position and the information which we share, it’s not appropriate for me to comment publicly on any of that,†DNI Coats said, referring to conversations between him and the President.
“I don’t feel it’s appropriate for me to characterize discussions and conversations with the President,” Coats told McCain.Â
Coats responds to report Trump asked him to push back against FBI’s Russia probe: Not “appropriate to characterize discussions” w/president. pic.twitter.com/pz1bJmHMWM
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 23, 2017
The Washington Post reported that in March, “Trump made separate appeals to the director of national intelligence, Daniel Coats, and to Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, urging them to publicly deny the existence of any evidence of collusion during the 2016 election.”
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