Two top intelligence officials told investigators President Donald Trump suggested they publicly declare there was no collusion between his campaign and Russia, CNN reported.
Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike Rogers met separately with special counsel Robert Mueller's team and Senate investigators, according to the news network.
The two described their conversations with Trump about the Russian investigations as odd and uncomfortable, CNN reported. However, neither of the two believed Trump ordered them to interfere.
"Both men told Mueller's team they were surprised the president would suggest that they publicly declare he was not involved in collusion, sources said," according to a story by CNN's Dana Bash, Evan Perez and Manu Raju.
"Mueller's team, which is in the early stages of its investigation, will ultimately decide whether the interactions are relevant to the inquiry."
The intelligence chiefs also met individually last week with the Senate Intelligence Committee behind closed doors and recalled their conversations with Trump.
Their private testimony is in contrast to both men's public appearance earlier this month in front of the committee, CNN noted. At that time, both men would not detail what the president said to them, the news network said.
Politico reported both men had "repeatedly stonewalled" when asked if Trump suggested they downplay or refute the FBI's probe. However, both men said they never felt pressure to do anything improper, the website said.
A source told CNN, Coats and Rogers were uncertain at the time whether their conversations with Trump were protected by executive privilege.
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