James Comey, Trump and the Russians: Our view

The import of what unfolded Monday on Capitol Hill is difficult to overstate. FBI Director James Comey testified that the presidential campaign of the man now occupying the White House is under investigation for potentially cooperating with the Russians to win the 2016 election.

Comey, with National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers beside him, repeated previous findings that the Russians hacked into the Democratic National Committee and indirectly passed stolen findings to WikiLeaks for the express purpose of helping Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. "They wanted to hurt our democracy," Comey told the House Intelligence Committee.

That is stunning enough. But Comey went a step further and acknowledged for the first time publicly that the investigation, which began last July, also involves whether Trump associates colluded with the Russians, including "an assessment of whether any crimes were committed."

That appears to contradict Trump's tweet at 3:49 a.m. Monday: "Democrats made up and pushed the Russian story as an excuse for running a terrible campaign." Would the FBI feel compelled to disclose an investigation "made up" by the Democrats?

Now the nation enters a new and difficult phase for Trump's young presidency, one that carries the potential of scandal for those who helped bring Trump to power and could conceivably overshadow his efforts to recast health care, reform the tax system and fight terrorism. Already, the House hearing eclipsed what normally would be a major event, the first Senate confirmation hearing for a Supreme Court nominee.

Let's be clear. There's no evidence that the Russian hacking altered enough votes to change the outcome of the election. The main potential crime discussed Monday was whether information was illegally leaked about former national security adviser Michael Flynn. And no one has said that Trump himself is a suspect. Comey talked only of "investigating the nature of any links between individuals associated with the Trump campaign and the Russian government."

But neither can the nation assume that when James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, reported no evidence of "collusion" between the Trump campaign and the Russians, at least through the end of the Obama term, that was the final word on the subject.

Wiretap charge harms Trump's credibility: Other views

One case, however, should be mercifully closed at this point: Trump's ludicrous allegation during a tweet storm this month that President Obama bugged Trump Tower. "I have no information that supports those tweets," Comey told the committee, and Rogers dismissed speculation that British intelligence might have been involved.

In light of their testimony, it's time for Trump to take the advice of many, including Republican congressmen such as Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Will Hurd of Texas, and apologize for those tweets, explaining that he simply misinterpreted news reports.

While he's at it, the president could attempt to further restore credibility by offering full cooperation with the FBI and congressional inquiries. He could express a desire to get out the truth, no matter where it leads. After all, a president should want to know whether people around him colluded with a hostile foreign power.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.

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