Clinton campaign chief has closed-door talk with House panel

WASHINGTON – Hillary Clinton’s former campaign chairman met Tuesday with a House committee investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.

John Podesta spoke with members of the House intelligence committee behind closed doors. He told reporters afterward he was “happy to co-operate” but couldn’t say what questions he’d been asked or detail his answers.

The hacking of Podesta’s personal email account and the release of those emails by WikiLeaks during the late stages of the campaign is one focus of the committee’s investigation.

While President Donald Trump has previously declined to name Russia as responsible for election meddling, in recent days he has referred to Russia in criticizing the Obama administration’s response to the hack. Podesta said the Obama administration was “trying to make the best judgment they could.”

Also Tuesday, a longtime Trump confidant said he would appear before the same House committee next month — also in private.

In a statement, Roger Stone’s lawyer said the political operative has been “much maligned by innuendo and misinformation” regarding the investigations into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Lawyer Robert Buschel said Stone looks forward to providing “a timeline based only on the facts.”

Stone has denied co-ordinating with Russia during the 2016 election.