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Acting FBI chief contradicts White House on Russia and Comey

McCabe testifies that fired director had 'broad support'

WASHINGTON - The acting director of the FBI contradicted the White House on two major issues on Thursday, the support of rank-and-file agents for the fired FBI chief James Comey and the importance of its investigation into Russian election interference.

In a striking repudiation of official White House statements, the acting director, Andrew McCabe, said the inquiry was "highly significant" and pledged during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing that the FBI would resist any attempt to influence or hobble the investigation.

"Simply put," he said, "you cannot stop the men and women of the FBI from doing the right thing."

That McCabe felt compelled to make those assertions was itself remarkable, a product of the unusually public effort by Trump and his aides to take public focus off the investigations into Russia's election meddling.

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Conaway: Probe will 'move forward'

U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway, the Midland Republican who is leading the House Intelligence Committee's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, pledged Thursday to "move forward" with the probe in the wake of the firing of FBI Director James Comey.

In a joint statement with Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the panel, Conaway also vowed to ensure that the integrity of the FBI investigation.

"As a part of our responsibilities, we will be conducting rigorous oversight to ensure that the FBI's own investigation is not impeded or interfered with in any way," Conaway and Schiff said in their statement.

Kevin Diaz, Chronicle

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The unfolding story of Trump's dramatic firing of Comey hung over the hearing, the topic of which was the biggest threats facing the United States. The White House has offered several explanations for why Comey was dismissed, including that he poorly handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server and that agents had lost confidence in their leader.

The claims have been greeted with widespread skepticism in Washington, and McCabe did not hesitate to make clear where Comey stood in the eyes of FBI agents and employees.

"Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does to this day," he said, adding that "the vast majority of FBI employees enjoyed a deep and positive connection to Director Comey."

He also was adamant that the firing of Comey had not affected the Russia investigation, and he said he had not talked to anyone at the White House about the inquiry.

The top Democrat on the committee, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, sought assurances from McCabe that he would sound the alarm if the White House or others tried to intervene.

"It's hard to avoid the conclusion that the president's decision to remove Director Comey was related to this investigation, and that is truly unacceptable," Warner said.

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the chairman of the committee, asked whether McCabe was aware of Comey telling the president three times that he was not under investigation, as Trump claimed. McCabe said he could not comment on any conversations that Comey might have had with the president.

McCabe also sought to sidestep delicate questions about the number of agents working on the Russia inquiry, assuring the committee that the bureau had the resources it needed.