Contrary to accusations levied by President Trump, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates testified today that neither President Obama nor Vice President Biden attempted to influence the FBI’s investigation into Trump appointee Michael Flynn, Politico reports.
In sworn testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, done via teleconference, Yates said, “During the meeting, the president, the vice president, the national security adviser did not attempt to any way to direct or influence any investigation.”
President Trump has complained often that Obama–and now, his presumptive opponent in the 2020 presidential election, Biden–directed a investigation into his campaign that resulted in an unfair prosecution of Flynn, Trump’s first National Security Advisor who has twice pleaded guilty to federal charges related to obstruction of an investigation.
Trump has dubbed his accusations “Obamagate,” but it has repeatedly been debunked by officials from the Obama Administration as well as independent reporting.
The Trump Administration, however, has taken up the unsubstantiated claim, with Attorney General William Barr stating that he has two independent investigations into Trump’s spying claims.
Yates also denied a republican talking point that the FBI had closed down an investigation into Flynn’s contact with Russian officials before the January 2017 interview in which Flynn lied to investigators.