Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said Wednesday he would discuss a reported conversation with President Trump in a closed hearing.
“I guess if I understand you right, Director Coats, is that in a closed session, you are more than likely to discuss the situation, is that correct?” asked Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
“I would hope we have the opportunity to do that,” Coats replied.
The situation related to a Washington Post article detailing a conversation between Trump and Coats during which Trump asked Coats to ask then-FBI Director James Comey to halt his investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn.
“It shows what kind of an Orwellian existence we live in,” McCain said. “It’s detailed, as you know from reading the stories, as to when you met, what you discussed, et cetera, et cetera. Yet, in a public hearing before the American people, we can’t talk about what was described in detail in this morning’s Washington Post.”
Coats said that he’s learned not to always take the Washington Post “at face value” and that its reporting is not always accurate. He also expressed his concern that classified information was given to the Post.
“Just because it’s published in the Washington Post doesn’t mean it’s now unclassified,” Coats said.
The exchange occurred during a public hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee with intelligence officials. Coats joined Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in answering questions regarding the ongoing Russia investigation.
The four intelligence officials dodged questions about conversations with Trump regarding the investigation while in a public hearing, saying that direct responses would be “inappropriate.”
