Trump denies collusion with Russia in first interview since firing Comey

President Donald Trump denied on Thursday that he colluded with Russia during the 2016 election, in his strongest denouncement yet of the topic that has hounded his presidency.

“There’s no collusion between me and my campaign and the Russians,” Trump said in an interview with NBC News anchor Lester Holt.

The interview was Trump’s first since he unexpectedly fired FBI Director James Comey on Tuesday, a move whose timing has led lawmakers to question whether Trump is trying to impede the FBI’s ongoing investigation into his campaign’s possible ties to Russia.

But Trump rejected the investigation as nothing more than “an excuse by the Democrats” for losing the election, and insisted it had no bearing on his decision to fire Comey.

 

Read More: Trump denies collusion with Russia in first interview since firing Comey – Business Insider