Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr defended his panel’s investigation into possible Trump-Russia ties, asking for patience and updating the public on the probe’s progress.

“Give us time,” Burr told reporters after a classified briefing. “Our staff has just completed the first round of triage of thousands of documents. We’re methodically going through the process of interviewing every individual that had some role to play in the construction of the ICA report from the last administration.”

Burr said the investigation has already “processed thousands of pages of intelligence product” and more than 20 interviews of intelligence analysts, estimating that they interview about two or three individuals per week.

The number of staff working on the Russia investigation in some capacity will increase to nine by May 1, Burr added, with two National Security Agency specialists joining the team. And at some point the committee may tap some additional investigators to help with their work.

But open hearings may take some time to take shape, the chairman said. It could take at least another month for the panel to process the documents they’ve received.

“By all accounts of individuals that I've talked to, they probably suggest that we should be in, still, a catcher’s mode for at least another month trying to triage all the information we’ve got,” he told reporters.

—Tim Mak