Independent U.S. Sen. Angus King of Maine grilled intelligence officials for their refusal to answer questions about discussions they had with fired FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday.
King and other members of the Senate Intelligence Committee were irked when intelligence officials said it was inappropriate to discuss whether President Donald Trump pressured Comey to scuttle the Russia probe.
Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe declined to answer King’s questions, citing an ongoing investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller.
“It is my position that I have to be particularly careful about not stepping into the special counsel’s lane,” he said.
“I don’t understand why the special counsel’s lane takes precedence over the lane of the U.S. Congress in an investigative and oversight committee,” King said.
King went on to request a legal justification for intelligence officials’ refusal to answer questions. The Senate Intelligence Committee is investigating Russian interference in the November election and whether Trump associates colluded with that effort.
