US intel agency heads testify on 'worldwide threats'

DEBKAfile was founded by a team of journalists in June 2000 as an independent Internet Web site, providing an intelligence and security news service. May 11, 2017, 7:18 PM (IDT)

The heads of several major American intelligence agencies testified Thursday morning (local time) at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington. Among the senior officials who spoke on worldwide threats were CIA Director Mike Pompeo; acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe; Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats; National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Director Robert Cardillo; and Lt. Gen. Vincent Steward, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Director Coats, speaking first, listed the range of threats to the US including North Korea’s nuclear program and its development of ICBMs.
As for the other speakers, acting FBI director McCabe said in response to a question from the committee that this week’s abrupt dismissal of Director James Comey does not have any effect on the bureau’s operations, but declined to elaborate. However, he promised to continue the investigation into alleged links between the Trump administration and Russia. McCabe also declined to comment on conversations between President Donald Trump and Comey but said contrary to the president’s comments earlier this week that the ex-director “enjoyed broad support within the FBI”. In addition, he stated that there was no special request for additional resources regarding the investigation of Trump’s alleged links to Russia during the presidential election campaign.

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