FBI
Director James Comey confirmed the bureau is probing potential ties
between President Donald Trump’s associates and Russia during the 2016 campaign
and said there’s no evidence to support the president’s allegation that his
predecessor “wiretapped” Trump Tower last year.
“I have no information that supports those tweets and we have looked
carefully inside the FBI," Comey told the House Intelligence Committee on
Monday. Comey said the Federal Bureau of
Investigation is conducting a broad inquiry into Moscow’s efforts to
“interfere” in the presidential election, an effort he said began in late July
of last year. “I have been authorized by
the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our
counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government’s efforts
to interfere in the 2016 presidential election,” Comey said. “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.” Comey cautioned he wouldn’t be able to
discuss many details of what remains a classified probe and said that his
refusal to answer a question shouldn’t be taken as a tacit confirmation.
“Please don’t draw any conclusions from the fact that I may not be able to
comment on certain topics,” he said, adding it “really isn’t fair to draw
conclusions.” Nonetheless, Trump tweeted
during the hearing: “FBI Director Comey refuses to deny he briefed President
Obama on calls made by Michael Flynn to Russia.” It was a reference to Michael
Flynn, Trump’s first national security advisor, who was fired for misleading
Vice President Mike Pence about the content of phone calls with the Russian
ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, a few weeks before Trump’s inauguration. Media
reports at the time, based on anonymous sources, said the subject of U.S.
sanctions against Russia was discussed.
The confirmation hearings of President Trump's Supreme Court nominee,
Judge Neil Gorsuch, began with Senate Judiciary Republicans praising his
qualifications and legal philosophy. "His
grasp on the separation of powers — including judicial independence —enlivens
his body of work," committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said of the
federal appeals court judge during his opening remarks on Monday. Demo-crats, however, wanted to talk about the
man they believed should have been sitting there instead: former President
Barack Obama's nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, who was denied a hearing by
Senate Republicans during an election year. Garland and Gorsuch were nominated
to replace Justice Antonin Scalia, who passed away suddenly in February 2016. "I am deeply disappointed that it is
under these circumstances that we begin these hearings," said Judiciary
Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. She went on to say that Democrats would give
Gorsuch a courtesy that Senate Republicans did not give Garland: a fair
hearing. "Our job is to determine
whether Judge Gorsuch is a reasonable mainstream conservative or is he
not," The outset of the first day
of testimony underscored that the hearings would remain sharply divided along
party lines, with each senator accusing the opposing side of political
posturing. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah,
argued that the Senate owes a president discretion in picking his judicial
nominees and pointed out that Gorsuch had received the highest rating possible
from the American Bar Association, the "gold standard" in vetting
judicial nominees. Hatch blasted
Democrats for wanting Gorsuch to outline how he would vote on certain cases,
saying that to them, "judicial independence requires he be beholden to
them and [their] political agenda" on issues like abortion. But Democrats kept pushing back against the
so-called Republican obstructionism that they believe caused Scalia's seat to
remain vacant for more than a year. "The
Judiciary Committee once stood against a court-packing scheme that would have
eroded judicial independence. That was a proud moment. Now, Republicans on this
committee are guilty of their own 'court un-packing scheme,' " said Sen.
Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. "The blockade of Chief Judge Merrick Garland was
never grounded in principle or precedent."
Gorsuch will give his own opening
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