MOSCOW. Jan 11 (Interfax) - Former Federal Security Service (FSB) Director and State Duma deputy Nikolai Kovalyov has called false the reports of Western media outlets that 'Russian agents' were gathering compromising material on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
"Certainly, there is no compromising material," Kovalyov told Interfax on Wednesday.
As to the claims that the gathering of compromising material on Trump began when he visited Moscow as the organizer of a beauty contest, the former FSB director said, "who is interested in gathering compromising material on a man who came here to organize a beauty contest? I can tell you from my professional experience that Russia does not have such practice."
Kovalyov said he could not recall a similar attempt to compromise a politician from every angle.
"There is an impression that the Obama Administration has hurled all effort into compromising the winner of the presidential race and that it believes no holds barred in this struggle," he said.
Still, "times are such that any compromising material is an advantage for the opponent," he said.
"They have enough compromising material in their country, so let them deal with it on their own. It would be at least incorrect to use Russia in their political struggle," he said.