‘No evidence yet’ of Trump-Russia election collusion, lawmaker says ahead of FBI chief’s testimony

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US Representative Devin Nunes , chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said Sunday he had so far seen no evidence that US President Donald Trump's campaign colluded with Russia during the runup to the 2016 election. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:25pm, 20 Mar 2017Updated: 3:51pm, 20 Mar 2017

A US congressional panel so far has found “no evidence” that Donald Trump’s campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, its chairman said Sunday, ahead of highly anticipated testimony by the head of the FBI on the US president’s potential Russia ties.

Based on “everything I have up to this morning - no evidence of collusion,” by Trump’s team and Moscow, Representative Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told Fox News on Sunday, describing documents delivered last week to the committee by the Justice Department and FBI.

Nunes made his remarks one day before Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey was to face lawmakers on the panel, amid speculation that Trump aides and associates - and perhaps even the businessman-turned-politician himself - may have maintained uncomfortably close ties with Moscow.

Intelligence officials have said that Russia was behind the theft of Democratic National Committee emails last summer. The US government later concluded that the Russian government directed the DNC hack in an attempt to influence the outcome of November’s presidential election.

FBI Director James Comey will testify to the US House intelligence committee on Monday, regarding Russia’s role in cybersecurity breaches at the Democratic National Committee, as well as President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claim that his predecessor had authorised a wiretap of Trump Tower. Photo: AP

“For the first time the American people, and all the political parties now, are paying attention to the threat that Russia poses,” Nunes said. “We know that the Russians were trying to get involved in our campaign, like they have for many decades. They’re also trying to get involved in campaigns around the globe and over in Europe.”

Nunes said the committee will examine whether the Russians were trying to sow doubt in the US electoral system or whether they were trying to help Trump get elected to the White House.

“We need to get to the bottom of that,” Nunes said.