Donald Trump asked intelligence bosses to speak out against FBI's Russia probe

President Trump reportedly asked two top intelligence officials to publicly deny the existence of any evidence of collusion between his campaign and Russia.

The Washington Post reported on Monday 22 May that Trump asked Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, and Admiral Michael Rogers, director of the National Security Agency, to make public statements saying that no ties existed between Russian officials and the Trump campaign.

But according to the report, the pair refused to do so because they thought the requests were inappropriate.

"Can we ask him to shut down the investigation? Are you able to assist in this matter?" one official reportedly asked.

The NSA and a spokesman for Coats declined to comment to the Post, citing the current investigation.

"The White House does not confirm or deny unsubstantiated claims based on illegal leaks from anonymous individuals," a White House spokesperson told the Post. "The president will continue to focus on his agenda that he was elected to pursue by the American people."

Earlier this month, Trump fired the FBI director James Comey, saying he did so because of the agency's investigation into his campaign's potential connections to Russia.

Trump then went on to tell Russian officials during a recent meeting that firing Comey eased pressure on him.