Former CIA chief says Russia contacts with Trump team were worrisome

WASHINGTON — As Russian hackers and propagandists tried to manipulate the U.S. election last year, the CIA noticed a series of suspicious contacts between Russian government officials and associates of Donald Trump's campaign, John Brennan, the former CIA director, said Tuesday.

In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, Brennan described a nerve-fraying few months as U.S. authorities realized that the election was under attack and worried that Trump's campaign might be aiding that fight. His remarks were the fullest public account to date of the origins of an FBI investigation that continues to shadow the Trump administration.

"I know what the Russians try to do. They try to suborn individuals and try to get individuals, including U.S. individuals, to act on their behalf, wittingly or unwittingly," Brennan said. When he left office in January, he said, "I had unresolved questions in my mind as to whether or not the Russians had been successful in getting U.S. persons involved in the campaign or not to work on their behalf."

Brennan acknowledged that he did not know whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian operatives and said the contacts might be benign. But his confirmation of those contacts was the latest revelation to undermine Trump's changing account of his campaign's links to Russia.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, tried to damage Hillary Clinton's candidacy and help Trump. On Aug. 4, as evidence of that campaign mounted, Brennan warned Alexander Bortnikov, director of Russia's Federal Security Service, known as the FSB, not to meddle in the election. Not only would it damage relations between the two countries, he said, it was certain to backfire.

"I said that all Americans, regardless of political affiliation or whom they might support in the election, cherish their ability to elect their own leaders without outside interference or disruption," Brennan said. "I said American voters would be outraged by any Russian attempt to interfere in election."

Brennan's warning proved futile. Though intelligence agencies are unanimous in their belief that Russia directly interfered with the election, it has become a divisive partisan issue, with Democrats far more likely than Republicans to accept the conclusion. Trump has declared that "Russia is fake news" and tried to undermine the conclusions of his own intelligence services.

He has also repeatedly tried to beat back news stories about his campaign's ties to Russia. White House officials tried to enlist the FBI and CIA to dispute stories early this year. Then, after the FBI publicly confirmed its investigation, Trump asked Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, and Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, to publicly deny any collusion between Russia and his campaign, according to two former U.S. officials. The Washington Post first reported Trump's entreaties.

On the day of the FBI's confirmation, a call from the White House switchboard came in to Coats' office with a request to speak to the director, a former intelligence official said. Calls from the switchboard are usually from the highest officials at the White House — the president, the vice president or the national security adviser.

Coats took the call. The official would not confirm what was discussed.

Coats, who testified Tuesday in a separate congressional hearing, declined to discuss his conversations with the president.

During his candidacy, Trump's spokeswoman declared that "there was no communication" with foreign entities. And Vice President Mike Pence flatly denied in January that there had been any contacts with Russians. Journalists have since revealed repeated undisclosed meetings with Russians. Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, was forced to resign over misstatements about his conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey I. Kislyak.

A Justice Department special counsel, Robert Mueller, is investigating whether any collusion took place. A grand jury in Northern Virginia has subpoenaed for information related to Flynn's lobbying and businesses.

Brennan described Russia's efforts around the world to use politicians to further Moscow's objectives. "I certainly was concerned that they were practicing the same types of activities here in the United States," he said.

In late July, officials established a group of NSA, CIA and FBI officials to investigate the election interference. The information was tightly held, and the FBI took the lead on investigating potential collusion, Brennan said.

"I made sure that anything that was involving U.S. persons, including anything involving the individuals involved in the Trump campaign, was shared with the bureau," he said.

Emmarie Huetteman and Matthew Rosenberg contributed reporting from Washington.