Trump blasts FBI, says need to find leakers 'now'

U.S. President Donald Trump sits for an interview with Reuters in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the FBI on Friday for failing to stop leaks of national security information to the media and directed the agency to find those who pass on classified information.

Trump's comments, in a pair of Twitter posts, come amid media reports that the FBI has refused a White House request that it refutes recent stories saying members of Trump's team had been in frequent contact with Russian intelligence agents during the presidential campaign.