Acting Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Andrew McCabe while testifying on Capitol Hill on Thursday disputed the White House's assertion that the agency employees had lost faith in sacked chief James Comey, saying he had "broad support" within the agency.
CNN quoted McCabe as telling the members of the Senate intelligence committee that Comey enjoyed "broad support within the FBI and still does to this day."
He added, "The majority, the vast majority of FBI employees enjoyed a deep, positive connection to Director Comey."
On Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that President Donald Trump "and the rest of the FBI" had lost confidence in Comey. She said the White House had heard from "countless" members of the FBI to that effect.
McCabe also said there has been no effort to impede the FBI's investigation into Russian interference in the election, but vowed to inform a Senate panel if the White House tried to intervene.
McCabe was testifying on Capitol Hill two days after President Trump fired Comey amid reports he was infuriated about the bureau's probe into Russia connection of the present administration.
The acting FBI director is a part of a hearing testifying in place of his former boss, who had been due to appear before his dismissal.
Alongside McCabe at the witness table on Thursday will be Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, Admiral Michael Rogers, who heads the National Security Agency, Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and Robert Cardillo, who runs the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
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