Meanwhile, President Trump said Wednesday he would accept damaging information on campaign rivals from foreign actors—and might not even alert the FBI about efforts by a foreign adversary to intervene in the U.S. election. Speaking with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos in the Oval Office, Trump said his son was right not to inform the FBI about the 2016 Trump Tower meeting.

President Donald Trump: “I’ve seen a lot of things over my life. I don’t think in my whole life I’ve ever called the FBI. In my whole life. I don’t—you don’t call the FBI. You throw somebody out of your office. You do whatever you do.”

George Stephanopoulos: “Al Gore got a stolen briefing book. He called the FBI.”

President Donald Trump: “Well, that’s different, a stolen briefing book. This isn’t a stolen—this is somebody that said, 'We have information on your opponent.' Oh, let me call the FBI. Give me a break. Life doesn’t work that way.”

George Stephanopoulos: “The FBI director says that’s what should happen.”

President Donald Trump: “The FBI director is wrong.”

President Trump’s hand-picked FBI director, Christopher Wray, told Congress just last month that the bureau would want to know if a public official or a campaign was contacted by a foreign government seeking to interfere in an election. President Trump dismissed the notion, saying he would consider accepting “opposition research” if a foreign figure approached him.