New York Daily News

Prez rips Comey, DOJ report

- BY DENIS SLATTERY

President Trump on Saturday thanked his base and used a recently released report by the Justice Department's internal watchdog to rip into former FBI director James Comey and other top agency officials in a pair of typo-filled tweets.

Trump lashed out at Comey, blaming him for starting the federal probe into Russian election meddling which led to an investigat­ion of Trump associates who may have coordinate­d with the Kremlin to sway the 2016 presidenti­al contest in his favor.

“The IG Report totally distroys James Comey and all of his minions,” Trump wrote, misspellin­g destroys.

A day earlier, Trump alternativ­ely and falsely declared that the report “exonerated” him, and labeled it a “horror show.”

Trump's claim is completely baseless as the report had nothing to do with special counsel Robert Mueller's probe. Mueller took over the federal investigat­ion into Russian efforts to influence the election last year and has charged 20 people and three Kremlin-linked companies with crimes — including four Trump campaign associates, three of whom have pleaded guilty.

The President fired Comey last May, admitting in an interview shortly after dismissing the G-man that “this Russia thing” had something to do with his decision.

The report found their political opinions did not directly influence the investigat­ions.

Trump claimed that the pair and Comey “started the disgracefu­l Witch Hunt against so many innocent people. It will go down as a dark and dangerous period in American History!”

Sen. Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) took to Twitter on Saturday to respond to the President's false claims.

“.@realDonald­Trump, the IG report found what we all knew: James Comey's actions helped you. During the election, the Russia investigat­ion was concealed from the public, the other was inappropri­ately turned into a media circus,” he tweeted.

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