The Senate Intelligence Committee held an open hearing to discuss Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) legislation with top intelligence officials. The hearing got heated when Senator Angus King grilled the officials on whether the President tried to influence their work. Following is a transcript of the video:

KING: What you feel isn’t relevant, admiral. What you feel is not the answer. The answer is, why are you not answering the questions? Is it an invocation of executive privilege. If there is, let’s hear about it. If there isn’t, answer the questions.

ROGERS: I stand by the comments I've made. I’m not interested in repeating myself, sir, and I don’t mean that in a contentious way.



KING: Well I do mean it in a contentious way, I don’t understand why you’re not answering our questions. You can’t — when you were confirmed, before the armed services committee you took an oath: “do you solemnly swear to give the committee the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you, God.” You answered yes to that.



ROGERS: And I’ve also answered that those conversations are classified and it is not appropriate in an open forum, to discuss those classified conversations.



KING: What is classified about a conversation involving whether or not you should intervene in the FBI investigation?



ROGERS: Sir, I stand by my previous comments.



KING: You swore that oath to tell us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and today you are refusing to do so. What is the legal basis for your refusal to testify to this committee?



COATS: I’m not sure I have a legal basis, but I’m more than willing to sit before this committee … during its investigative process in a closed session and answer your questions.



KING: Well we’re going to be having a closed session in a few hours. Do you commit to me that you’re going to answer these questions in a direct and unencumbered way?



COATS: I plan to do that but I do have to work through the legal counsel at the White House relative to whether or not they’re going to exercise executive [privilege].

