White House says chief of staff not wrong to talk to FBI

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House on Friday defended chief of staff Reince Priebus against accusations he breached a government firewall when he asked FBI Director James Comey to publicly dispute media reports that Trump campaign advisers had been frequently in touch with Russian intelligence agents.

Spicer said it was the FBI that first approached the White House about the veracity of a New York Times story asserting that Trump advisers had contacts with Russian intelligence officials during the presidential campaign.

Langer acknowledged that this could make it harder to convince people that the House investigation into the matter will be independent and free of political bias, but he said the White House did not tell Nunes what to tell the reporter, or give him "talking points."

Intelligence professionals are not there to serve as the president's PR firm," Schiff said, adding, "For its part, the intelligence community must resist improper efforts like these by the administration to politicize its role.

The ranking Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, Mark Warner of Virginia, said Friday night that he had called CIA Director Mike Pompeo and Burr to express his "grave concerns about what this means for the independence" of the congressional investigation already underway.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi accused Priebus of "an outrageous breach of the FBI's independence" and called on the Justice Department's inspector general to look into all conversations Priebus and other White House officials have held with the FBI on ongoing investigations.

A 2009 memo from then-Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department is to advise the White House on pending criminal or civil investigations "only when it is important for the performance of the president's duties and appropriate from a law enforcement perspective."

On Feb. 14, The New York Times reported that intelligence agencies had collected phone records and call intercepts showing frequent communication between Trump advisers and Russian intelligence agents during the campaign.

According to Spicer, McCabe told Priebus in "very colorful terms" that the report was inaccurate, prompting the chief of staff to ask if the FBI would make its view known publicly.

Administration officials have acknowledged that the FBI interviewed ousted national security adviser Michael Flynn about his communications with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. during the transition.