FBI Director James Comey delivered an implicit rebuke to President Donald Trump, saying that he had "no information" to support claims by Trump that he was wiretapped on the orders of predecessor Barack Obama.
In a dramatic hearing before the House Intelligence Committee, Comey said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had a clear preference for whom he wanted to see as the next US President -- and it was not Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
The White House launched a political offensive even as the hearing continued. Spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump would not apologize to Obama for the wiretapping accusations, adding that questions remain about possible surveillance.
Spicer also incorrectly diminished the role of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Comey publicly confirmed for the first time that his agency is investigating possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Republicans tried to focus the hearing on leaks that led to the resignation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Meanwhile, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee sent a message of unity at his confirmation hearing despite the fraught atmosphere surrounding his nomination.
Monday was the first day of four hearings for Neil Gorsuch, a federal appeals court judge from Colorado likely to carry on the conservative legacy of the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
The hearing was a setting for Democrats to revisit their feelings about the snub last year of Obama's nominee, Judge Merrick Garland.
Gorsuch will face questions from senators Tuesday. But the real drama will play out behind the scenes.
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