Trump repeats right-wing radio host’s call for FBI and DOJ to investigate Clinton
During interview, Trump complained “the saddest thing” about being president is not being able to interfere with the Justice Department
Written by Media Matters Staff
Published
In a series of tweets on November 3, President Donald Trump repeated a claim made by right-wing radio host Larry O’Connor during his interview with the president on November 2 that listeners “keep asking … for the Justice Department to really, truly, honestly investigate Hillary Clinton [and] Uranium One. They don’t feel like justice has really been done there.”
In the tweets, Trump asserted, “Everybody is asking why the Justice Department (and FBI) isn't looking into all of the dishonesty going on with Crooked Hillary & the Dems,” including the repeatedly debunked Uranium One story and her private email server. Trump added, “At some point the Justice Department, and the FBI, must do what is right and proper. The American public deserves it!”
Everybody is asking why the Justice Department (and FBI) isn't looking into all of the dishonesty going on with Crooked Hillary & the Dems..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2017
...New Donna B book says she paid for and stole the Dem Primary. What about the deleted E-mails, Uranium, Podesta, the Server, plus, plus...
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2017
....People are angry. At some point the Justice Department, and the FBI, must do what is right and proper. The American public deserves it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 3, 2017
Trump’s tweets often echo things he sees or hears on right-wing media, particularly from segments or ads that air on Fox & Friends.
From the November 2 edition of Cumulus Media’s The Larry O’Connor Show:
LARRY O’CONNOR (HOST): Whenever I open up the phone lines here in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia, Pennsylvania, here in the greater Washington area, say “what do you want the administration to be doing, what do you want the president to be doing.” This may shock you. One of the things they keep asking for is for the Justice Department to really, truly, honestly investigate Hillary Clinton, the Uranium One. They don’t feel like justice has really been done there. And they really want -- and the leaks, by the way. The leaks, what’s stopping the Justice Department? And they really want --
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: One of the saddest --
O’CONNOR: And the leaks, by the way. The leaks, what’s stopping the Justice Department?
TRUMP: Well, the leaks have stopped from the White House, pretty much. But they are all over Washington. They have been for years. And some of the leaks are really, very, very bad leaks. They’re bad for our country.
O’CONNOR: They illegal. They’re criminal, criminal.
TRUMP: But, you know, the saddest thing is that, because I'm the president of the United States, I am not supposed to be involved with the Justice Department. I'm not supposed to be involved with the FBI. I'm not supposed to be doing the kind of things that I would love to be doing. And I'm very frustrated by it. I look at what's happening with the Justice Department. Why aren't they going after Hillary Clinton with her emails and with her -- the dossier? And the kind of money -- I don't know, is it possible that they paid $12.4 million for the dossier? And how was that, which is total phony, fake.
O’CONNOR: It's a fraud.
TRUMP: And how was it used? And it’s very discouraging to me -- I'll be honest, I'm very unhappy with it, that the Justice Department isn't going. Now, maybe they are. But you know as president, and I think you understand this, as a president you are not supposed to be involved in that process. But hopefully they are doing something. And at some point, maybe we are going to all have it out.