Comey, who will testify before Congress Thursday, reportedly wrote a memo saying Trump asked him to back off investigating Flynn.
Top national security officials dodged questions from a Senate committee Wednesday as to whether they were asked by President Trump to intervene in the FBI's probe into whether Trump campaign associates colluded with Russian Federation to influence the 2016 election.
But Rogers said he had never been directed to do anything illegal, immoral or inappropriate during his time as NSA director while Coats said he had never felt pressured to intervene with shaping intelligence.
Coats' testimony before the Senate intelligence committee has been scheduled for weeks, an event that was already expected to kick off two days of blockbuster hearings.
"On this topic, as well as other topics, I don't feel it's appropriate to characterize discussions and conversations with the president", Coats said at the time. "I do not recall feeling pressured to do so".
Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election, and ensuing congressional and FBI investigations into Moscow's ties with Trump associates has dogged the president since he took office.
"If any of this is true, it would be an appalling and improper use of our intelligence professionals, an act that could erode the public's confidence in our intelligence institutions", Senator Mark Warner said.
Trump Aides Defend His Decision to Exit Paris Climate Accord
In response to the decision, France, Germany and Italy said in a joint statement the agreement could not be revised. He said MA will continue its commitment to exceed the emission reduction targets of the Paris compact.
Both Coats and Rogers said they would answer more fully in closed session but did not rule out Trump's invoking executive privilege then.
President Donald Trump's top communications staff, and much of his senior White House team, did not know the president was going to make the official announcement for nominating James Comey's successor early Wednesday morning via a single tweet, according to multiple White House officials.
It's a new twist for a hearing Wednesday that was set to be dominated by questions about the Russian Federation investigation.
The top Democratic member of the Senate intelligence committee said Wednesday that the timing of President Donald Trump's announcement of a new Federal Bureau of Investigation director - the day before James Comey is set to testify before Congress - is "more than a little bit curious".
The president has repeatedly called for an end to the Russian investigation in his public remarks.
DNI spokesman Brian Hale said in advance of the hearing, "Director Coats does not discuss his private conversations with the President". Trump announced his long awaited decision for his nominee to be the permanent replacement - Christopher A. Wray - in a Tweet Wednesday morning.
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