FBI debated whether Trump was ‘following directions’ of Russia, transcripts reveal

Top FBI officials debated whether Donald Trump was “acting at the behest of” Russia and “somehow following directions,” according to newly disclosed transcripts of congressional hearings.

James Baker, the FBI’s general counsel in the aftermath of James Comey’s firing as FBI director, told lawmakers senior bureau officials discussed the possibility the US president was working for the Kremlin, according to transcripts obtained by CNN.

“That was one extreme. The other extreme is that the president is completely innocent, and we discussed that too,” Mr Baker told investigators at a closed-door hearing in 2018.

“There’s a range of things this could possibly be. We need to investigate, because we don’t know whether, you know, the worst-case scenario is possibly true or the president is totally innocent and we need to get this thing over with – and so he can move forward with his agenda.”

The New York Times reported on Friday that the FBI opened a counterintelligence probe into whether Mr Trump could have been acting to benefit Moscow following the president’s decision to fire Mr Comey in 2017.

Mr Baker’s testimony – and the testimony of former FBI lawyer Lisa Page – reveal the extent of concerns among top officials about possible obstruction of justice by the US president and the potential for Russia-related motives.

The then-general counsel met with around half a dozen others, including then-acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, to discuss whether Mr Trump was “acting at the behest of and somehow following directions, somehow executing their will”.

Mr Baker explained: “Not only would it be an issue of obstructing an investigation, but the obstruction itself would hurt our ability to figure out what the Russians had done, and that is what would be the threat to national security.

“I’m speaking theoretically. If the president of the United States fired Jim Comey at the behest of the Russian government, that would be unlawful and unconstitutional,” he added.

“Is that what happened here?” asked congressman John Ratcliffe, a Texas Republican.

“I don’t know,” said Mr Baker.

Ms Page told investigators the bureau had been considering an investigation into whether Mr Trump was working to benefit Russia before he fired Mr Comey.

“This case had been a topic of discussion for some time,” the former FBI lawyer said. “The waiting on was an indecision and a cautiousness on the part of the bureau with respect to what to do and whether there was sufficient predication to open.”

It was previously reported that former FBI agent Peter Strzok, fired in August 2018, had texted Ms Page to say the bureau should “open the case we’ve been waiting on” following Mr Comey’s dismissal.

According to a report in The Washington Post, Mr Trump has gone to “extraordinary lengths” to hide details of his conversations with Vladimir Putin, including removing notes from his own interpreter.

Mr Trump has denied the claims and attacked several of the former FBI actors involved in Russia-related investigations – Mr Comey, Mr McCabe, Ms Page and Mr Strzok – in a tweet sent out on Saturday.

“Lyin’ James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Peter S and his lover, agent Lisa Page, & more, all disgraced and/or fired and caught in the act,” he wrote. “These are just some of the losers that tried to do a number on your President.”