FBI interviewed ex-Trump adviser Carter Page for Russia investigation

WASHINGTON — Carter Page, an ex-foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump's campaign, confirmed Monday that he has been interviewed by the FBI as part of its investigation of Russian interference in last year's election.

Page, whose past contacts with Russian officials have made him a subject of congressional and federal inquiries, said the interviews took place in March over the course of 10 hours in which he met with agents – without a lawyer.

"It went great,'' Page said. "The more I explained reality, the more the false allegations and false evidence... became imminently clear.''

The FBI obtained a federal court order last summer to monitor Page’s communications as part of its investigation into possible collusion between the campaign and Russia, a detail first made public in April. 

Page has denounced the surveillance effort, and any collaboration with Russia, which the U.S. intelligence community has accused of launching a campaign of cyberattacks and fake news to influence the election in favor of Trump. The president, for his part, also denies any collusion with Moscow. 

“I am an open book,’’ Page told USA TODAY last month. “Compared to the incomplete lies that defined me in the secret criminal justice system and the rest of the (intelligence community) last year, any actual facts and truths I can illuminate will be a giant leap in the right direction.’’

The FBI's interview of Page was first reported by The Washington Post.

Last March, during a meeting with the Post’s editorial board, Trump referred to Page as a member of his national security advisory council.