Trump: ‘We’re Cleaning Everything Up’ By Attacking FBI

U.S. President Donald Trump talks to journalists before departing the White House May 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. Trump is traveling to New York where he will tour theÊMorrelly Homeland Security Center and then attend aÊroundtable discussion and dinner with supporters before returning to Washington.Ê
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 23: U.S. President Donald Trump talks to journalists before departing the White House May 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. Trump is traveling to New York where he will tour the Morrelly Homeland Secu... WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 23: U.S. President Donald Trump talks to journalists before departing the White House May 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. Trump is traveling to New York where he will tour the Morrelly Homeland Security Center and then attend a roundtable discussion and dinner with supporters before returning to Washington. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

President Donald Trump isn’t undercutting the FBI or the Department of Justice’s Russia investigation by demanding a probe into the use of a government informant to gain information on the Trump campaign before the 2016 election.

He’s just “cleaning everything up,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

“No, no. We’re not undercutting, We’re cleaning everything up,” trump said. “This was a terrible situation. What we’re doing is we’re cleaning everything up. It’s so important. What I’m doing is a service to this country.”

Since The New York Times first reported last week that an informant met with members of Trump’s campaign, Trump has seized on the news as evidence of a broader bias against him within the FBI and DOJ and has relentlessly called the informant a “spy,” deeming the whole ordeal “spygate” on Wednesday.

In reality, the informant reportedly spoke with two Trump campaign officials — Carter Page and George Papadopoulos — as a facet for quietly probing Russian interference in the election without compromising the vote.

Trump tweeted Sunday a “demand” for a probe into whether the FBI’s hiring of an informant to meet with Trump officials was politically motivated. The Justice Department then asked the inspector general to look into it.

Latest Livewire
Comments
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Associate Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: