Trump attacks FBI’s role in Russia probe
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump escalated his criticism of the FBI on Friday over its investigation of possible links between Russia and his campaign, adding a new round of his own complaints to a growing conservative effort to discredit the inquiry.
“It’s a shame what’s happened with the FBI,” the president told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before departing for an event at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va. “It’s a very sad thing to watch.”
Without citing specifics, Trump described an extraordinary “level of anger” at the FBI over the investigation. He labeled “disgraceful” recently released text messages between one of the agents on the investigation and a lawyer for the bureau who were critical of him. The special counsel, Robert Mueller, removed the agent from the investigation when he learned of the texts.
Trump’s latest attacks on the FBI kept alive a rare public feud between a president and the nation’s premier law enforcement agency, friction that could be seen as Trump undermining faith in the integrity of an inquiry he has long derided as a “witch hunt.”
He also criticized the FBI’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton and her use of a private email server, calling it a “scam.” The Justice Department closed that case without filing charges.
“They found tremendous things on the other side,” Trump said. “When you look at the Hillary Clinton investigation, it was — I’ve been saying for a long time — that was a rigged system.”
The president’s constant attacks have frustrated FBI agents who say they see him as diminishing a proud organization and eroding its trust with the public.
The president also said Friday that it was premature to discuss whether he would pardon Michael Flynn, his former national security adviser who pleaded guilty this month to lying to the FBI in connection with the investigation.
“I don’t want to talk about pardons for Michael Flynn yet,” Trump said.