President Donald Trump said he was "happy to hear" Attorney General Pam Bondi launched a grand jury investigation regarding the origins of the Trump-Russia collusion narrative.
In an interview on CNBC's "Squawk Box," Trump said he had nothing to do with launching the investigation of how the Obama administration handled claims of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
"Pam is doing a great job," Trump said. "I have nothing to do with it. I will tell you this — they deserve it. I was happy to hear it."
White House spokesman Harrison Fields said the administration "remains committed to conducting a thorough investigation."
"This effort aims to provide the American people with the truth about the extent to which former government officials worked to sabotage the Trump administration and undermine the will of the American people in a clear attempt to subvert our Constitutional Republic," Fields said in a statement.
The grand jury proceedings are expected to examine whether top officials conspired to mislead the public and misuse government intelligence to tie then-candidate Donald Trump to Russian actors — charges that Trump and his allies have long denied and labeled a political hit job.
The referral, submitted by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in late July, included a previously classified intelligence memorandum detailing how U.S. intelligence agencies suppressed evidence showing no Russian interference affected election infrastructure. The document accuses intelligence officials of pushing a false narrative to delegitimize Trump's presidency.
"The American people were sold a lie," Gabbard said at a press conference last week. "They were led to believe that Donald Trump was elected with the help of a foreign adversary. That narrative was manufactured."
No names have been released as targets of the grand jury, but speculation points to former Obama-era officials including former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, and former FBI Director James Comey — figures repeatedly criticized by Trump supporters for their roles in investigating whether Russia was interfering in the 2016 election.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.