Trump: FBI plotted against my election
REPORT ‘EXONERATES’ PRESIDENT
DONALD TRUMP has disputed findings by the Justice Department that former FBI director James Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email probe was not politically motivated.
The US President said the FBI was “plotting against my election”.
The department’s inspector general report, while critical of the FBI and Mr Comey personally, did not find evidence that political bias tainted investigation of Mrs Clinton’s email practices in the run-up to Mr Trump’s election.
But after tweeting that he did a “great service” to the nation by firing Mr Comey, Mr Trump marched out to the White House North Lawn to claim the report “totally” exonerated him.
On the inspector general report that found no political bias in the FBI’s final conclusions, he said: “The end result was wrong. There was total bias. Comey was the ring leader of this whole, you know, den of thieves. It was a den of thieves.”
Mr Trump’s comments followed the 500-page report that also rebuked FBI officials for exchanging anti-Trump text messages during the 2016 campaign.
Mr Trump’s supporters have argued that the findings are proof of political bias at the FBI.
The news came on the same day Mr Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was jailed after a federal judge revoked his house arrest, citing newly filed obstruction of justice charges.