CNN: FBI Director Comey may go public on Trump-Russia probe...

According to CNN Tuesday, FBI Director James Comey may go public about any investigation there might be into President Trump's connections to and interactions with the Russian government.

"The question of ties between the Trump campaign and Russia," Anderson Cooper explained, "it is a question we know both the House Intelligence and Senate Intelligence Committees are investigating along with at least three committees and one sub-committee, and so is the FBI even though the bureau for months now has refused to publicly confirm it."

"Well tonight, CNN has learned that Director James Comey is about to go on the record," Cooper said.

"Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island," Manu Raju reported, "he is told in a private meeting that FBI Director James Comey would assure him and his fellow Senator Lindsey Graham whether or not there actually is an investigation ongoing into the Donald Trump campaign and the contacts that allegedly occurred with Russian officials during the presidential election."

"Now since they have not confirmed the existence of an investigation," Raju continued, "they have actually not even confirmed it with senators, so in a private meeting between Graham and Whitehouse on March 2nd, James Comey would actually not tell these two senators whether there's an investigation ongoing, even though they sit on a Judiciary Subcommittee that is investigating the issue of Russia."

Now Comey, according to Sheldon Whitehouse, said that he would actually confirm, one way or another, whether or not that investigation is occurring by this hearing they're having tomorrow in this Senate Judiciary Subcommittee. They're actually gonna be exploring Russia's meddling in the election and in Eastern European elections as well.

Now this also comes, Anderson, as both Sheldon Whitehouse and Lindsey Graham have asked for evidence into wiretapping. Those claims by President Trump that President Obama ordered wiretaps and surveiled him during the presidential election. And Lindsay Graham says if he does not get a response by tomorrow before that hearing, he told me that he's gonna give, make it a very tough hearing on the Justice Department on that hearing tomorrow on Russia. So a lot of news could happen tomorrow, especially if James Comey goes public or says this investigation is ongoing. But right now the FBI has not yet responded to my request for a comment.

"And so at this stage, lawmakers have not gotten any evidence," Cooper asked, "which is something that Lindsey Graham has asked for. They have not gotten any evidence that President Trump was wiretapped at the order of President Obama?"

"That's absolutely right," Raju answered, "and there was a Senate Intelligence Committee briefing, closed door briefing, that happened earlier today in which they discussed this issue of Russia and actually members of that meeting said that no, they actually had not seen any evidence yet. Including Sen. Joe Manchin, who sits on that committee, and the top Democrat on that committee, Mark Warner, told me as he went into that briefing, there's no evidence whatsoever, even though he met with James Comey last week."

"Now one other senator who's demanding some more information is Sen. John McCain, who said it's time for the administration to explain if there's any evidence there," Raju said.

Senator: Comey to go public on Trump-Russia probe https://t.co/YZ32bCBsdM @mkraju has more. https://t.co/PCeRjYuex5

— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) March 15, 2017

"The question is whether or not the FBI or the Justice Department will respond either in a private setting or a public setting," Raju continued. "And if they don't respond privately, there are going to be questions that James Comey is going to get at a March 20th House hearing where they're going to be discussing this issue of Russian interference in the election."

"But also the Senate Intelligence Committee announcing today that they plan to have their own public hearings later this month," Raju concluded, "and Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat in the committee, also wants to hear from some Trump associates, about their contacts, including Roger Stone, who admitted some contacts with Russian officials during the campaign season."

CNN has reported before that U.S intelligence agencies are investigating the ties between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, something that Trump has vehemently denied and blamed the press for propagating.