Trump asked 2 intel chiefs to deny Russia collusion: report

[WASHINGTON] US President Donald Trump asked two top intelligence officials in March to help push back against the FBI investigation into his campaign's possible links with Russia, The Washington Post reported on Monday.

In the newest report suggesting the White House sought to tamp down the Russia probe, the Post said Mr Trump urged National Security Agency chief Michael Rogers and to Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats to publicly deny any evidence of collusion between his campaign and Russia during last year's presidential election.

Citing current and former intelligence officials, the Post said both Mr Rogers and Mr Coats, who was appointed by Mr Trump, did not comply with his request.

The president made the request after then FBI director James Comey revealed that the agency had been investigating Russian interference into the election since July 2016.

Last week, US media reported that Mr Trump had pressed Mr Comey himself in meetings and phone calls to pull back on the investigation. The White House has denied that Mr Trump pressured Mr Comey in any way.

But the FBI director, who Mr Trump fired two weeks ago, wrote detailed memos on his discussions with the president that were cited in the media reports.

In February, Mr Trump asked several senior congressmen and intelligence officials to contact journalists and tell them there was no evidence to support the allegations of campaign links to Russia.

AFP