Comey testifies that DNC denied FBI access to its servers

Updated

On Tuesday, FBI Director James Comey said that the Democratic National Committee, or DNC, refused to provide his agency access to servers believed to have been targeted by Russian hackers, reports The Hill.

He made the comments at a hearing on Capitol Hill where he referred to the efforts, in his words, as "multiple requests at different levels."

He also reportedly told lawmakers that he was given no reason for the denial but said, "We'd always prefer to have access hands-on ourselves if that's possible."

Comey's testimony runs counter to a BuzzFeed News report from January 4 which quotes Eric Walker, a DNC spokesperson, as saying that the organization "responded to a variety of requests for cooperation, but the FBI never requested access to the DNC's computer servers."

The piece also claims that the agency hired an outside security firm called CrowdStrike to conduct a check on DNC systems instead of doing it themselves.

However, Comey indicated during the hearing that the FBI agreed to outsource the work only after reaching such an agreement with the DNC, notes CBS News.

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