Brandon Maxwell talks 'Project Runway,' undressing Lady Gaga

Lada Gaga's multiple fashion reveals were a big moment at the Met Gala. They were also a sweet one for her friend Brandon Maxwell.

Maxwell was the designer by her side who peeled off all her layers on the pink carpet. He created the look and is also one of the judges on the revived 17th season of "Project Runway" on Bravo.

He admits to some nerves at the May gala, considered fashion's biggest night, but told The Associated Press he knew his famous friend had his back. He says he felt calm every time he looked over the pop star.

FILE - This May 6, 2019 file photo shows Lady Gaga, right, and designer Brandon Maxwell at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Camp: Notes on Fashion" exhibition in New York. Maxwell created the look that had her transitioning from a huge pink gown to black bra and panties, including glittery sky-high boots, at the May gala, considered fashion’s biggest night. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP, File)

Of his new stint on TV, Maxwell says he can relate with the design contestants. He's had his own womenswear brand for about four years. He knows firsthand the pressures they're feeling on the series.

FILE - This May 6, 2019 file photo shows Lady Gaga, right, and designer Brandon Maxwell at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Camp: Notes on Fashion" exhibition in New York. Maxwell created the look that had her transitioning from a huge pink gown to black bra and panties, including glittery sky-high boots, at the May gala, considered fashion’s biggest night. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP, File)

FILE - This May 6, 2019 file photo shows Lady Gaga at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Camp: Notes on Fashion" exhibition in New York. Designer Brandon Maxwell created the look that had her transitioning from a huge pink gown to black bra and panties, including glittery sky-high boots, at the May gala, considered fashion’s biggest night. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP, File)

FILE - This May 6, 2019 file photo shows Lady Gaga at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Camp: Notes on Fashion" exhibition in New York. Designer Brandon Maxwell created the look that had her transitioning from a huge pink gown to black bra and panties, including glittery sky-high boots, at the May gala, considered fashion’s biggest night. (Photo by Evan AgostiniInvisionAP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely didn’t order the death of imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in February, according to an official familiar with the determination.

While U.S. officials believe Putin was ultimately responsible for the death of Navalny, who endured brutal conditions during his confinement, the intelligence community has found “no smoking gun” that Putin was aware of the timing of Navalny's death — which came soon before the Russian president's reelection — or directly ordered it, according to the official.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

Soon after Navalny’s death, U.S. President Joe Biden said Putin was ultimately responsible but did not accuse the Russian president of directly ordering it.

At the time, Biden said the U.S. did not know exactly what had happened to Navalny but that “there is no doubt” that his death “was the consequence of something that Putin and his thugs did.”

Navalny, 47, Russia’s best-known opposition politician and Putin’s most persistent foe, died Feb. 16 in a remote penal colony above the Arctic Circle while serving a 19-year sentence on extremism charges that he rejected as politically motivated.

He had been behind bars since January 2021 after returning to Russia from Germany, where he had been recovering from nerve-agent poisoning that he blamed on the Kremlin.

Russian officials have said only that Navalny died of natural causes and have vehemently denied involvement both in the poisoning and in his death.

In March, a month after Navalny’s death, Putin won a landslide reelection for a fifth term, an outcome that was never in doubt.

The Wall Street Journal first reported about the U.S. intelligence determination.

FILE - Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny gestures while speaking during his interview to the Associated Press in Moscow, Russia on Dec. 18, 2017. U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely didn't order the death of Navalny, the imprisoned opposition leader, in February of 2024. An official says the U.S. intelligence community has found "no smoking gun" that Putin was aware of the timing of Navalny's death or directly ordered it. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)