Trump laments long wait on Clinton e-mail investigation

WASHINGTON: Eager to begin another assault on the credibility of those investigating him, US President Donald Trump said he wants to know “what is taking so long” with an internal Justice Department probe that is expected to cast a harsh spotlight on the FBI.

The early-morning tweet on Tuesday underscores how the White House and Trump’s legal team view the upcoming watchdog report as a way to damage the reputation of fired FBI Director James Comey – and, by extension, discredit special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The report is expected to sharply criticise Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton e-mail probe, initially cited by the White House as the reason for firing Comey last year.

Trump and his allies continue to believe that any censure of Comey would undercut the former director’s value as a witness against the president.

Democrats have long criticised Comey’s decisions – including an unusual news conference recommending against criminal charges for Clinton and his notification to Congress days before the election that the investigation was being reopened – as having broken from protocol in ways that damaged Clinton’s election prospects.

An inspector general report, expected within days, is likely to find fault with some of those actions and could reopen wounds of Democrats who maintain that their candidate was unfairly treated.

Trump, nonetheless, has eagerly awaited the report in hopes that any damning conclusions about Comey and the FBI will give him additional fodder to attack federal law enforcement officials.

Part of Trump’s defence team strategy has been to discredit Mueller’s probe by condemning Comey, who has testified publicly about his interactions with the president and who set in motion Mueller’s appointment by releasing to a friend a private memo he wrote documenting a pivotal encounter with Trump.