Carter Page, the energy industry consultant who was linked last year to Donald Trump's presidential campaign and was the subject of an FBI investigation, said Thursday night that he has consulted with the FBI and the CIA many times over the years.
Page was investigated last year under a secret intelligence court warrant as a possible foreign agent. He has also said the FBI interviewed him in March about alleged ties between Russia and Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
Page reiterated Thursday night in interview on MSNBC's "All In With Chris Hayes" that there were no ties to Russia and that he has done nothing wrong.
Page indicated, without giving specifics, that had he been connected to Russia, the intelligence would have already known, because he has "consulted" with both the CIA and the FBI "numerous" times over the last few years.
"I've helped both the FBI and CIA on other things in the past," he said when asked about his past dealings with the FBI. "We've had tens of hours of discussions."
Page said only that the agencies occasionally asked him for background on "things that are happening around the world," which he wouldn't detail.
Two months ago on the same show, Page confirmed to Hayes that he'd met with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. at last July's Republican National Convention.
In March 2016, Trump named Page, a former Merrill Lynch investment backer, as a foreign policy adviser to his campaign.
But in January, after Page was identified as being among people the FBI was "examining" for his alleged ties to Russia, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer declared: "Carter Page is an individual the president-elect does not know."
It wasn't first time Page has been in the FBI's crosshairs. He confirmed last month that he is also the unnamed man identified in a federal complaint against an undercover Russian agent as having met with the man four years ago.
The 2015 complaint doesn't accuse Page of having spied for Russia or of having shared any sensitive information.
Meanwhile, the Senate Intelligence Committee asked Page last week to provide a list of his contacts with Russian officials and to turn over any emails or other communications with Russians.
