President Donald Trump on Wednesday swiped at former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan, calling them "crooked as hell."
Talking with reporters during a noon luncheon at the White House, Trump made his comments when asked whether he wanted the men behind bars.
The Washington Times on Tuesday reported that the FBI had opened criminal investigations against Comey and Brennan for their involvement in the government’s investigation into Trump, based on accusations that Trump and some of his advisers were colluding with Russia leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
Trump on Wednesday, according to the New York Post, claimed he was in the dark about a new investigation into the pair.
"Well, I know nothing about it, other than what I read today, but I will tell you, I think they’re very dishonest people."
He added that actions can have consequences: "I think they’re crooked as hell, and maybe they have to pay a price for that."
The Times said a referral to the FBI to open the investigation included the potential of the two acting as part of a conspiracy.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox on Tuesday that Brennan and Comey are "disgraceful individuals" who "turned against our Constitution and our country, and I’m sure they did, in fact, lie to Congress, and it’s up to the Department of Justice to investigate that and to prosecute them if they did."
On July 2, current CIA Director John Ratcliffe released a declassified internal tradecraft review of the 2016 election investigation into Trump. He then posted, "All the world can now see the truth: Brennan, Clapper (James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence) and Comey manipulated intelligence and silenced career professionals - all to get Trump. Thank you to the career @CIA officers who conducted this review and exposed the facts."
Director Comey was fired by President Trump in May 2017 during his first term in the White House.
Jim Mishler ✉
Jim Mishler, a seasoned reporter, anchor and news director, has decades of experience covering crime, politics and environmental issues.
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