Trump pushes DOJ on Clinton
Won’t rule out firing Sessions
President Donald Trump said he is “disappointed” with the Justice Department and won’t rule out firing Attorney General Jeff Sessions, if Sessions won’t investigate Democrats.
“Honestly, they should be looking at the Democrats,” Trump told reporters before departing the White House on a 12-day trip to Asia.
The president’s comments came after he tweeted several times Friday morning to criticize his former 2016 rival Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee: “Crooked Hillary bought the DNC & then stole the Democratic Primary from Crazy Bernie!,” he wrote, adding it’s the “real story on Collusion.”
Asked if he would fire Sessions if DOJ doesn’t focus its investigative powers on Democrats, Trump said, “I don’t know.”
Trump continued: “A lot of people are disappointed in the Justice Department, including me.”
Special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. This week, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates, who also had a role in the campaign, were indicted on 12 counts, and former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying about his dealings with Russians were offering “dirt” on Hillary Clinton.
The White House has repeatedly sought to turn the attention of the probe, which is looking into potential collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, to Clinton and her campaign.
Earlier Friday, Trump said the American public “deserves” a federal investigation of Clinton and the DNC over a joint fundraising agreement they signed in August 2015.
Trump’s accusations follow publication by Politico of an excerpt from former acting DNC Chair Donna Brazile’s upcoming book. Brazile alleges she found “proof” that the 2016 Democratic primary was rigged in Clinton’s favour. Brazile writes that she believes no laws were violated, but that a fundraising agreement “looked unethical.”