President Donald Trump today attacked his own Justice Department for not doing more to investigate Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party in the wake of revelations that her presidential campaign had a measure of control over the Democratic National Committee in 2015, well before she had clinched the party’s nomination.
“I’m really not involved with the Justice Department. I’d like to let it run itself,” Trump told reporters outside the White House today before leaving for Hawaii on a 13-day trip to Asia.
“But, honestly, they should be looking at the Democrats. They should be looking at [John Podesta] and all of that dishonesty,” Trump said of Clinton’s 2016 campaign chairman.
He added, “And a lot of people are disappointed in the Justice Department, including me.”
Asking “where is our Justice Department?” the president tried to make the case in a series of tweets Thursday into this morning that the “real story of collusion” is that “Crooked Hillary bought the DNC [and] then stole the Democratic Primary from Crazy Bernie,” a reference to independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
“At some point the Justice Department, and the FBI, must do what is right and proper,” Trump tweeted Friday.
The Justice Department has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
The president went further in an radio interview Thursday night, lashing out at the Justice Department, saying he’s “very frustrated” that he can’t personally get involved and even suggested that “at some point, maybe we’re going to all have it out.”
“You know the saddest thing is that because I’m the president of the United States, I am not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department. I’m not supposed to be involved with the FBI. I’m not supposed to be doing the kind of things I would love to be doing. And I’m very frustrated by it,” Trump said in the interview with “The Larry O’Connor Show.”
The president’s comments come as the special counsel, Robert Mueller, who is leading the department’s investigation into any contact between Trump’s campaign and Russia, revealed charges Monday against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, Manafort’s top deputy and campaign foreign policy adviser.
Trump has publicly rebuked Attorney General Jeff Sessions before on Twitter.
“Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!” Trump tweeted in July.
Over the summer, Trump indicated that he would have nominated someone else for attorney general had he known that Sessions would recuse himself from the Russia investigation.
