A U.S. Senate committee investigating allegations that Russia interfered in recent U.S. elections has ordered several of President Donald Trump's former aides to turn over information about possible ties with Russians.
One of those being scrutinized, Carter Page, who is a former foreign policy adviser to Trump, lashed out at the Senate intelligence committee in a letter made public Friday, calling the probe a “comically fake inquiry.”
Page said in his letter that if committee members wanted details about his communications with Russians, they should ask former President Barack Obama. He said the material he has is “minuscule” in comparison to information the Obama administration collected as part of what he called a “completely unjustified” secret warrant to put him under surveillance.
Manafort, Stone, Flynn also named
The Senate panel has also asked for records from former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former Trump adviser Roger Stone, and former national security adviser Michael Flynn as part of its investigation.
Both the Senate and House intelligence committees along with FBI officials are investigating Russian efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.
On Thursday, FBI Director James Comey and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers discussed the investigation with members of the House intelligence committee for more than two hours behind closed doors.
The House committee's work has been stalled since the panel's chairman, Representative Devin Nunes, a California Republican and a member of the president's transition team, recused himself from the probe.
Trump named Page as an unpaid adviser in March 2016. Officials say that Page submitted policy memos to Trump's campaign but that the two never met. Page left Trump's campaign in September 2016 after a trip he took to Russia drew criticism.
