Trump: Obama DOJ launched 'unprecedented' probe to 'discredit' him 'so Crooked H would win'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Trump on Monday accused the Department of Justice and FBI under former President Barack Obama of launching an investigation into his campaign in an effort to “discredit” him and help Democrat Hillary Clinton win the presidency, calling those efforts “unprecedented” and “bigger than Watergate.”
“Why did the Obama Administration start an investigation into the Trump Campaign (with zero proof of wrongdoing) long before the Election in November?” Trump asked. “Wanted to discredit so Crooked H would win.”
Trump tweeted: “Unprecedented. Bigger than Watergate! Plus, Obama did NOTHING about Russian meddling.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating ties between the Trump campaign and the Russians during the 2016 election. Trump has repeatedly said there is “no collusion” and has accused top officials at the Justice Department of being politically biased against him.
It’s since been revealed that during the campaign, the FBI began probing Trump campaign aides, including Carter Page and George Papadopoulos.
According to the recently released memo from House Intelligence Committee Republicans, the Justice Department and the FBI “sought and received” a probable cause order authorizing “electronic surveillance” of Page, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The memo asserts the infamous, anti-Trump dossier was critical in obtaining the Page warrant.
The FBI also began investigating Trump campaign adviser Papadopoulos’ relationships with Russians in 2016. Papadopoulos in October pleaded guilty to making false statements to FBI agents about his contacts with people close to the Russian government, but has not been charged with anything else.
The court filings say the 30-year-old Papadopoulos was not truthful during a FBI interview just days after the president’s inauguration in January 2017 about his relationship with an “overseas professor” who had “substantial connections to Russian government officials.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The professor, according to prosecutors, told Papadopoulos the Russians had “dirt” on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in the form of “thousands of emails.”
TRUMP QUESTIONS WHY SESSIONS ISN’T PROBING ‘DEM CRIMES’ AMID RUSSIA INVESTIGATION
Frustrated over the investigation, the president also been dinging his own attorney general, Jeff Sessions, recently asking on Twitter why the Democrats in the Obama administration aren’t being investigated as part of the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administration, right up to January 20th, why aren’t they the subject of the investigation?” Trump tweeted.
Trump added: “Why didn’t Obama do something about the meddling? Why aren’t Dem crimes under investigation? Ask Jeff Sessions!”