Lorie Cole Hicks's MyC-SPAN

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and intelligence community leaders testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on global threats and national security. Mr. McCabe said no effort had been thus far to impede the FBI’s Russia investigation, and he pledged to inform the committee of any White House interference. Mr. McCabe contradicted previous White House statements telling the committee that former FBI Director James Comey had “enjoyed broad support within the FBI.” In addition, he called the ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election “highly significant.” Other topics addressed included North Korea and Iran.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Director of National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, National Security Agency Director Admiral Michael Rogers, and Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe testified at a hearing on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Barring congressional action, the act was set expire in December 2017. In addition to oversight questions about FISA’s procedures and effectiveness, members asked the panel about news reports related to the ongoing investigations into Russia and the 2016 presidential election. The witnesses declined from answering several members' questions, saying they did not want to adversely affect the investigation of Justice Department Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Audience members, journalists, and committee members gathered prior to the Senate Select Intelligence Committee hearing with former FBI director James Comey.

FBI Director James Comey and NSA Director Admiral Michael Rogers testified at a House Select Intelligence Committee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Comey acknowledged his agency was investigating whether members of the Trump campaign collaborated with the Russian government to influence the election. Regarding accusations made by President Trump via his Twitter account that President Obama wiretapped his Trump Tower residence shortly before the November 2016 presidential election, Mr. Comey told committee members neither he nor his agency had any information to support such claims. He also said no president has the ability to unilaterally order a wiretap, and that such an operation must go through a court process and be ordered by a judge.

The heads of several law enforcement and intelligence agencies testified at a hearing on global threats to computer networks. Topics included recent data breaches at the Office of Personnel Management and the Internal Revenue Service.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and the heads of the FBI, CIA, and the National Security Agency testified at a hearing on their collective investigation and findings on Russian influence in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The witnesses reiterated many of the points made in their unclassified report on Russia’s influence, including their conclusion that Russian President Vladimir Putin was directly involved. In his first congressional appearance since the election, FBI Director James Comey faced sharp questioning on whether his agency was investigating potential connections between either of the presidential campaigns and Russian officials, and he said he could not comment on whether such an investigation was ongoing.