WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on investigations into links between President Donald Trump's campaign and Russia (all times local):
10:15 a.m.
President Donald Trump's first White House chief of staff says he never felt the president wanted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
Reince Priebus (ryns PREE'-bus) said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that Trump was very clear about his concerns over what he saw as Mueller's possible conflicts of interest. But Priebus pushed back against a New York Times report that Trump ordered that Mueller be fired last June but backed off after the top White House lawyer threatened to resign.
Trump fired Priebus at the end of July.
Priebus says he never heard "the idea or the concept" that Mueller needed to be fired. He says he'd know the difference "between a Level 10 situation" and "what was reality."
Priebus says the Times report "wasn't reality."
___
10:05 a.m.
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee is slamming the release of a congressional memo that alleges FBI surveillance abuses in an investigation into the Trump campaign's Russia ties.
Rep. Adam Schiff calls the four-page memo by committee chairman Devin Nunes (NOO'-nehs) a "political hit job." The California Democrat said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that he requested that the committee first question the FBI and review the full supporting materials before releasing the memo, but Republicans voted his motions down.
The memo contends the FBI relied excessively on an ex-British spy whose opposition research was funded by Democrats when it applied for a surveillance warrant on a onetime Trump campaign associate.
President Donald Trump says the memo vindicates him. But Schiff says the memo actually confirms the investigation began several months earlier.
___
12:15 a.m.
President Donald Trump is claiming complete vindication from a congressional memo that alleges the FBI abused its surveillance powers during the investigation into his campaign's possible Russia ties.
But the memo also includes revelations that might complicate efforts by Trump and his allies to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller's inquiry.
The memo released Friday contends that the FBI, when it applied for a surveillance warrant on a onetime Trump campaign associate, relied excessively on an ex-British spy whose opposition research was funded by Democrats.
At the same time, the memo confirms that the investigation into potential Trump links to Russia actually began several months earlier, and was "triggered" by information involving a different campaign aide.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
