Trump calls for investigation into Mueller probe

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused former FBI officials and Democrats of treason for their role in the Russia investigation and vowed to “get to the bottom” of how the inquiry began. In a 45-minute interview on Fox News, Trump told host Sean Hannity that he planned to declassify and publish in full the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants the FBI used to get permission to begin surveillance on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, which the FBI suspected was colluding with Russia to influence the election’s outcome. The FBI released redacted versions of the warrants in July 2018.

“This was an attempted takeover of our government … an illegal takeover,” the president said. He called for an investigation into the actions of FBI and CIA officials, including former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI agent Peter Strzok, FBI lawyer Lisa Page, and former CIA Director John Brennan. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he will open an investigation into the how the Russia probe got started.

In an interview for a Washington Post report published late Tuesday, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., rejected the conclusion of the Mueller investigation as reported by Attorney General William Barr, who on Sunday said special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation found no evidence the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

“Undoubtedly there is collusion,” Schiff said. “We will continue to investigate the counterintelligence issues. That is, is the president or people around him compromised in any way by a hostile foreign power?” Trump said Schiff should be ousted from office for his focus on the Russia allegations, adding, “You could say it’s a crime what he did—he was making statements he knew were false.”