WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the House intelligence committee’s Russia investigation (all times local):
12:30 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he is “honored” by the Republican-led House intelligence committee, which says it found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential race.
Trump told reporters as he welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House Friday that, “We were honored” by the report, which he is calling “conclusive” ”strong” and “powerful.”
The Republican-led House intelligence committee on Friday officially declared the end of its Russia probe and said it found no evidence of collusion between the campaign and Moscow.
That conclusion is fiercely opposed by committee Democrats, who say the committee did not gather enough evidence to support its finding.
Trump has long called the issue a “witch hunt” and insists there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia.
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11:15 a.m.
The senior Democrat on the House intelligence committee is challenging the findings of a Republican-written report on the panel’s Russia investigation.
California’s Adam Schiff says it’s an effort to serve as “defense counsel” for associates of President Donald Trump.
Schiff says the panel did uncover evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia — despite Republicans saying otherwise. Schiff cites several secret meetings and communication between people linked to Russia and Trump campaign officials, including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and the president’s son Donald Trump Jr.
Schiff says Republicans on the committee didn’t conduct a serious investigation. The committee released a declassified version of the report Friday. Portions of it were redacted by U.S. intelligence agencies.
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11 a.m.
The Republican-led House intelligence committee on Friday officially declared the end of its Russia probe, saying in its final report that it found no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign.
The report’s conclusion is fiercely opposed by committee Democrats, who say the committee did not interview enough witnesses or gather enough evidence to support its finding.
An investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller is ongoing, as are probes led by the Senate intelligence and judiciary committees.
The House panel did find that Russia sought to sow discord in the U.S. through cyberattacks and social media. Some portions of the public report are redacted for national security reasons. Republicans say they will pressure intelligence agencies to be able to release more information.
Trump has repeatedly said there was “no collusion.”
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