President Donald J. Trump said in a new interview that it “would not bother” him to see former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan arrested, as his administration’s investigation into the origins of Russiagate continues to unfold.
In a wide-ranging, hour-long discussion with the Daily Caller on Friday, Mr. Trump made clear that, while he is not personally overseeing the inquiry, he believes the misconduct behind the investigation into his 2016 campaign should lead to arrests.
“What they did is a disgrace,” Mr. Trump told Reagan Reese, the outlet’s White House correspondent. “They cheated, they lied, they did so many bad things, evil things that were so bad for the country… They’re bad people. They’re sick people. They’re the ones that committed all the crimes. We didn’t commit crimes. They committed all the crimes. They should be [arrested] because they’re crooked and they got caught.”
Pressed on whether he would be comfortable watching Mr. Comey and Mr. Brennan in handcuffs, Mr. Trump responded bluntly: “Would not bother me at all.”
The remarks came after Director Tulsi Gabbard, who has been tasked with overseeing the declassification of Russiagate materials, released documents in July that she said showed “overwhelming evidence” that former President Barack Obama and his national security team “manufactured and politicized intelligence” following Mr. Trump’s 2016 election victory. Gabbard has since referred the case to the Department of Justice.
According to the Daily Caller, Mr. Comey and Mr. Brennan are considered potential early indictments given their central roles in advancing the narrative that Trump officials colluded with Russia — a narrative Mr. Trump has long insisted was “fake.”
“They lied, they cheated, they did everything you can do that’s illegal,” Mr. Trump said of his critics. He noted the irony of being accused of improper conduct while he himself had to endure a mugshot: “What the hell did they do with me? And then they make it sound like I’m a bad guy.”
Mr. Trump contrasted his current willingness to see political opponents face legal consequences with his decision during his first term not to pursue charges against Hillary Clinton. “We had Hillary cold,” he recalled, referencing the 2016 campaign chant of “Lock her up.” “I didn’t want to see that… I was very gracious.” But, he added, “I wouldn’t have answered that question that way four years ago. Do you understand that? I wouldn’t.”
The president also tied the investigation to his broader critique of the current administration’s failures, particularly on immigration. “We had a great first term,” he said, citing military rebuilding, economic growth, and border security. By contrast, he argued, the Biden era has been marked by uncontrolled migration: “Millions of people a month” were pouring into the country, he said, calling them “very, very dangerous.”
Ultimately, Mr. Trump described those behind Russiagate as not merely corrupt but unwell. “If, depending on what they find, they’re guilty, they’re guilty,” he said. “They’re bad people, and they are very, very sick people, beyond bad. They’re sick.”
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