FBI Director James Comey confirmed during the Monday House Intelligence Committee hearing that there is an investigation underway looking into the relations between President Donald Trump's campaign team and Russian officials.
Comey began by acknowledging that the normal practice of the FBI is not to comment on investigations should they contain classified information.
"As you know, our practice is not to confirm the existence of ongoing investigations, especially those investigations that involve classified matters," Comey said. "But, in unusual circumstances, where it is in the public interest, it may be appropriate to do so, as justice department policies recognize."
"This is one of those circumstances," he said.
"I have been authorized by the Department of Justice to confirm that the FBI, as part of our counterintelligence mission, is investigating the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, and that includes investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government, and whether there was any coordination between the campaign and Russia's efforts," Comey said.
Comey noted that he could not publicly say "whose conduct" they were investigating, and that he could not go into more detail due to the sensitive nature of the investigation.
"As with any counterintelligence investigation, this will also include an assessment of whether any crimes were committed," he said.
"Because it is an open, ongoing investigation, and is classified, I cannot say more about what we are doing and whose conduct we are examining," Comey added.