Trump reportedly complains about why he can't just have 'my guys' at the 'Trump Justice Department' do his bidding
- President Donald Trump reportedly complained about why he can't get "my guys" at the "Trump Justice Department" to do his bidding.
- The comments were published in a Saturday Washington Post report.
President Donald Trump has complained in recent weeks that he doesn't understand why he can't just order "my guys" at the "Trump Justice Department" to do his bidding, two people familiar with the remarks told The Washington Post.
The Post reported Saturday that Trump made the comments to aides and confidants as other examples of the president's effort to influence the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether his campaign colluded with Russian officials are reported. Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Trump ordered White House counsel Donald McGahn to fire special counsel Robert Mueller last June, but McGahn threatened to resign, which caused Trump to back off.
The comments were published in a story that highlighted how Trump sought to make public a secret document that Republicans believe could undermine Mueller's investigation. Trump made clear that his desire is to release the memo, which is at odds with the Justice Department's position. The Post reported that White House chief of staff John Kelly made clear to Attorney General Jeff Sessions what Trump's view on the matter was.
The DOJ earlier warned that releasing the memo authored by staff for House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes, a California Republican, would be "extraordinarily reckless" without an official review.
Whether or not the document is released is ultimately up to Congress. It suggests the FBI possibly relied on politically motivated and questionable sources to obtain a surveillance warrant in the early days of the probe.
A senior administration official told The Post that Trump "is inclined to have that released just because it will shed light."
"Apparently all the rumors are that it will shed light, it will help the investigators come to a conclusion," they added.