WATCH: Director of National Intelligence Refuses to Answer if He Has Ever Been Asked to Influence an Investigation
‘I’m Not Prepared to Answer Your Question Today’
The Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coats, refused to answer if he has ever been asked to influence an ongoing investigation. Coats, who became DNI on March 16, was firm in his response.
“I’m not prepared to answer your question today,†he told Senator Marco Rubio, calling it “confidential information” that should be “protected.” He did offer to testify in a closed session to answer the question.
“I’m just not going to go down that road in a public forum,” he added, despite being told it was not classified.
Rubio then asked Admiral Mike Rogers, the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), if he has ever been asked to “issue a statement that you knew to be false.”
Both refused to answer directly.
There’s a difference between being asked and being ordered, or directed, and there’s a difference between being asked and feeling pressured.Â
Both officials refused to answer if they had been asked.
Rubio: Can you say Trump/WH never asked you to influence an investigation?
DNI Coats: “I’m not prepared to answer your question today.†pic.twitter.com/I1aplhGC4a
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) June 7, 2017
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