In his latest unprecedented attack on federal law enforcement, President Donald Trump on Friday accused top officials at the Department of Justice and the FBI of favoring Democrats, even though many of them are actually Republicans.
The president’s comment came hours after he green-lighted the release of a controversial secret memo authored by congressional Republicans that alleges the FBI abused U.S. spying law investigating Trump’s campaign. The FBI this week urged Congress not to release the memo, saying it contains misleading and inaccurate information.
Democrats, meanwhile, have said the memo is just another attempt by Republicans to discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into the Trump campaign and Russia. Four former Trump officials have been charged in connection with the Mueller probe.
The president’s frustration with the Russia investigations, which he’s often referred to as a “witch hunt,” is longstanding and well documented. In an interview with NBC last year, Trump said the “Russia thing” was a factor in his decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey. Mueller was appointed to take over the Justice Department probe in May after Comey’s departure.
Trump reportedly considered firing Mueller last year, but backed down after opposition from White House Counsel Donald McGahn.
As the investigation has heated up in recent months, Trump’s allies have turned to a long-running right-wing conspiracy: the so-called deep state. The most recent example of this theory stems from a series of text messages sent between two romantically involved FBI employees ― Agent Peter Strzok and attorney Lisa Page. In one message sent the morning after Trump’s election win, Page joked about the existence of a “secret society.”
“It may be time to declare war outright against the deep state and clear out the rot in the upper levels of the FBI and the Justice Department,” Fox Business’ Lou Dobbs said last week.
The president seems to agree.