President Donald Trump said allegations of collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia are "a total hoax." | AP Photo Trump slams Yates hearing: 'Nothing but old news'

President Donald Trump on Monday tweeted his first reaction to testimony from former acting Attorney General Sally Yates, dismissing her comments as "nothing but old news" and asking "when will this taxpayer funded charade end?"

Trump also said allegations of collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia are "a total hoax."


The series of tweets came as Yates Senate testimony, along with former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, dominated cable coverage and the days news in Washington.

"The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?" the president tweeted after Yates and Clapper testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism earlier Monday on the Russian campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election.

"[Former Director of National Intelligence James] Clapper reiterated what everybody, including the fake media already knows- there is 'no evidence' of collusion w/ Russia and Trump," Trump added.

Clapper reaffirmed during his testimony that he had seen no evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, while Yates declined to comment on the subject, citing concerns that she'd reveal classified information.

"Sally Yates made the fake media extremely unhappy today — she said nothing but old news!" Trump said.

Yates told the Senate panel Monday that while serving as acting attorney general she had informed the Trump White House in January of former national security adviser Michael Flynn's contact with Russian operatives.

She added that Flynn being compromised could've made him susceptible to blackmail by the Russians.

Her testimony served as her first public comments on the controversy since Flynn resigned from his post in February.