Politics

House Democrats Demand To Know If Trump Tweets Undermined DOJ, FBI

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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With a majority in the House, Democrats are seeking to examine whether President Donald Trump’s preponderance of tweets adversely affected the Department of Justice and FBI.

As Reuters reports, the New Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, New York Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler, is seeking a potential probe into the president’s Twitter activity vis-a-vis the DOJ.

(Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) (L) speaks as Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) (2nd L) and Rep. David Ciclline (D-RI) (R) listen during a news conference to denounce a meeting between the Justice Department and FBI officials and Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) May 24, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Nadler notified acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and FBI Director Christopher Wray in a letter Tuesday that describes his “growing concern.” (RELATED: Trump Offers Dire Warning To House Democrats On Cooperation)

“I write with growing concern over President Trump’s repeated attacks on the integrity of the Department of Justice and the FBI,” Nadler wrote. “The president’s behavior appears to be motivated by an urge to shield himself, his family, and his business interests from the ongoing work of the department and the bureau.” (RELATED: Bill Clinton Noticeably Absent From House Democrats’ Last-Minute Fundraising Push)

Trump’s relationship with the DOJ and FBI has been difficult from the beginning of his tenure as president.

He openly battled with former FBI Director James Comey and only last week asked for the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions after frequently criticizing Sessions’ judgment and actions on Twitter. Former intelligence director James Clapper has suggested it was “a good thing” that the FBI was spying on Trump.

The DOJ has informed Reuters that it has received the letter that focuses specifically on Trump’s objections to special counsel Robert Mueller’s ongoing investigation into the extent of Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election, which Nadler maintains that Trump has called “a ‘witchhunt’ at least 84 times year.”

In reference to the president’s insistence that the Mueller probe is a threat to the Trump administration and Trump’s threats to terminate high-ranking DOJ employees, Nadler writes, “These actions are not normal. And they ignore the guidance of the White House Counsel, flout the Constitution and undermine our federal law enforcement agencies.”

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