At a Senate intelligence hearing for an unrelated matter this week, senators ended up asking NSA and other intelligence brass about the president and the Russia investigation.
The officials told senators they would not discuss the specifics of conversations with the president.
They said they thought it was confidential information that should be protected from public hearing. They also said they were waiting for more guidance from the White House.
There was some talk about senators now being concerned about their ability to look into these matters and get answers from U.S. intelligence, and whether power has now shifted to the executive.