"Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does to this day," Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said. | AP Photo McCabe contradicts White House on Comey

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe rebuffed the White House on several fronts Thursday, lauding his fired predecessor, James Comey, even as President Donald Trump was calling Comey a "showboat."

"Director Comey enjoyed broad support within the FBI and still does to this day," McCabe said at a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats. He added that Comey had not lost the confidence of rank-and-file FBI agents, contradicting a claim by the White House.


White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday said the president, Justice Department and Congress had all lost confidence in Comey. “Most importantly,” she added, “the rank-and-file of the FBI had lost confidence in their director.”

McCabe also contradicted Sanders' description of the FBI’s investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. On Wednesday, Sanders called the probe “probably one of the smallest things that they've got going on their plate.”

McCabe on Thursday said the FBI considers the Russia probe “a highly significant investigation.”

McCabe also pledged to alert the Senate Intelligence Committee if there is any political interference in the bureau's Russia investigation.

"There has been no effort to impede our investigation to date," McCabe said. “It is my opinion and belief that the FBI will continue to pursue this investigation vigorously and completely.”

Comey was originally set to testify at Thursday’s hearing on worldwide threats, but McCabe was subbed in after Comey’s abrupt firing.

McCabe also declined to comment Thursday on whether he ever heard Comey tell Trump he was not the subject of an investigation.

"I can't comment on any conversations the director may have had with the president," McCabe said at the top of the hearing, under questioning from Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.).

The question was a reference to Trump's comment in his letter firing Comey that the ousted FBI director had informed him "on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation."

Witnesses at the hearing also included Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats, CIA Director Mike Pompeo, NSA Director Adm. Mike Rogers, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart and director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Robert Cardillo.

The panel’s top Democrat, Mark Warner of Virginia, asked each of them whether they concurred with the intelligence community’s January assessment that Russia sought to way the election toward Trump. Each said they did.

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“For many people, including myself, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the president’s decision to remove Director Comey was related to this investigation, Warner said at the top of the hearing. “And that is unacceptable.”

The committee has invited Comey to testify in a closed session next Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the House investigation into Russia's election meddling issued a statement saying they would work to ensure the FBI's probe is not impeded.

“The House Intelligence Committee is determined to move forward with its Russia investigation in a thorough and nonpartisan fashion,” said Reps. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). “As a part of our responsibilities, we will be conducting rigorous oversight to ensure that the FBI's own investigation is not impeded or interfered with in any way."