Trump Says ‘Mueller Probe Should Never Have Been Started’ in Scathing Tweets After McCabe Firing
President Donald Trump unleashed a series of scathing tweets on Saturday, blasting Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation and Andrew McCabe, the former deputy director of the FBI.
The president’s tweets were unusual — even for him — in that they arrived the same day his personal lawyer said the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election should come to an end, before walking that statement back shortly after. “The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime,” the president tweeted Saturday night. “It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!”
Hours earlier, Trump defended McCabe’s firing, simultaneously dragging former FBI Director James Comey into the conversation as well.
“The Fake News is beside themselves that McCabe was caught, called out and fired,” he wrote. “How many hundreds of thousands of dollars was given to wife’s campaign by Crooked H friend, Terry M, who was also under investigation? How many lies? How many leaks? Comey knew it all, and much more!”
McCabe was fired from the agency earlier in the day by Attorney General Jeff Sessions just two days prior to his 50th birthday, which would have allowed him his full government pension. Sessions said an investigation found significant “misconduct” and multiple reports concluded he “lacked candor” while under oath on multiple occasions.
The former deputy director released a statement defending his reputation and claiming Trump’s attacks are an all-out effort to discredit the Mueller investigation.
“This attack on my credibility is one part of a larger effort not just to slander me personally, but to taint the FBI, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals more generally,” McCabe said. “It is part of this Administration’s ongoing war on the FBI and the efforts of the Special Counsel investigation, which continue to this day. Their persistence in this campaign only highlights the importance of the Special Counsel’s work.”
Trump has certainly been celebrating his firing, claiming the move marked a “great day for Democracy” in an earlier tweet.
It remains unclear whether the president will now call for Mueller’s firing as well, but it appears that could easily happen via a tweet at any moment.
[image via screengrab]
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