Responding to the Justice Department inspector general report on the FBI’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails, President Donald Trump on Friday claimed the report “totally discredited” special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Trump and Russian interference in the election.
“What they did during the election was a disgrace, it probably has never happened in our country before and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. What’s going to happen when we go further? And there was total bias, total bias,” he told “Fox and Friends” during an impromptu interview. “It is a very unfair situation but the IG report totally exonerates, if you look at the results, if you look at the head investigator is saying ‘We have to stop Trump from becoming President.’ Well, Trump became President.”
“I think the Mueller investigation has been totally discredited,” he added later Friday morning as he headed back to the Oval Office, claiming the report exonerates him of obstruction over his decision to fire then-FBI Director James Comey.
During the interview with “Fox and Friends” host Steve Doocy, Trump also claimed what Comey did was “criminal,” but stopped short of suggesting he should be “locked up.” He said it was “probably the funniest thing” that the IG report revealed that Comey used a private email for FBI business while he was investigating Clinton for a similar offense. The IG report released Thursday concluded, among many things, that Comey and other FBI officials pivoted from agency norms in some of their actions, but were not politically motivated.
“I would never want to get involved in that, certainly, they look like criminal acts to me,” he said. “What he did was criminal. What he did was a terrible thing to the people. What he did was so bad in terms of our Constitution, in terms of the wellbeing of our country. What he did was horrible. Should he be locked up? Let somebody make a determination.”
He also questioned why FBI official Peter Strzok — who sent the text saying “we’ll stop” Trump from getting to the White House — was still working at the agency and called his “vicious” text messages a “criminal” offense.
Before wandering outside the White House for an unplanned interview with his favorite show, Trump tweeted similar comments, repeating one of his favorite lines– that he did a “great service to the people in firing (Comey). Good instincts.”
The IG Report is a total disaster for Comey, his minions and sadly, the FBI. Comey will now officially go down as the worst leader, by far, in the history of the FBI. I did a great service to the people in firing him. Good Instincts. Christopher Wray will bring it proudly back!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2018
FBI Agent Peter Strzok, who headed the Clinton & Russia investigations, texted to his lover Lisa Page, in the IG Report, that “we’ll stop” candidate Trump from becoming President. Doesn’t get any lower than that!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2018
