President Donald Trump is considering asking the FBI to review its policies after the agency’s highly-publicized, militarized raid on the home of longtime Trump associate Roger Stone early Friday morning.
The president told The Daily Caller in an exclusive Oval Office interview Wednesday that he was “speaking for a lot of people that were very disappointed to see that go down that way. To see it happen where it was on camera, on top of it. That was a very, very disappointing scene.”
Trump added that he would “think about” asking the FBI to review its use of force.
The president also said that it was “very interesting” to compare the FBI’s investigation of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting to the resources expended on the Mueller investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
“[Y]ou’ve had so many people killed, and so badly wounded, because I went to the hospital. You had people so badly wounded. People never talk about the wounded. The level of hurt and devastation for a whole lifetime. You know, many people just devastated for a lifetime. They’ll never be the same. And you look at that by comparison to the Russian hoax, it’s a shame.”
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TRANSCRIPT:
TheDC: Stephen Paddock, the shooter in Las Vegas, 2017. The FBI just closed this investigation yesterday without determining any motive, but don’t you think Americans deserve to know why so many people died in the worst mass shooting in modern history?
TRUMP: It was a horrible event. He was a very, very sick person, obviously. It was very unusual in that there didn’t seem to be your standard set of reasons as to why this would happen. I’m a little surprised that the report wasn’t much longer, but at the same time, I can understand it. You know, it was just a terrible thing. They were unable to find a real reason, other than that obviously he was sick and they didn’t know it. So I was a little surprised, and a lot disappointed that they weren’t able to find the reason, because you’d like to find a reason for that and stop it.
TheDC: Were you following developments through that case?
TRUMP: I was watching it like everybody else. I was watching it. I thought it was terrible. I went to the hospital. I saw many of the victims, and right after the event, it was horrible. I mean, it was inconceivable. But he was a very sick person and nobody would have known it. Nobody had any idea. He had money, or at least they think he had money. He was a gambler. You know, you don’t see too many gamblers that have money. But I think they worked very hard. I will tell you, they worked very hard on that case. They just were unable to find anything. From all of the facts — because I’ve looked at some of the things, also — and it was a very unusual case. A very sick person, who just, people never saw that coming.
TheDC: Speaking of the FBI, sir, were you comfortable with the force that was used in the raid on Roger Stone’s house? Do you think that was appropriate for your FBI to be doing that in a white collar-case?
TRUMP: I thought it was very unusual. You know, I’ve stayed out of that whole situation because there was no collusion whatsoever. There was no nothing done wrong. And frankly, I could have waded in very early. I could have ended it very easily if I wanted to. But just let it run its course. But I will say, I’m speaking for a lot of people that were very disappointed to see that go down that way. To see it happen where it was on camera, on top of it. That was a very, very disappointing scene.
TheDC: You thought it was unusual that CNN was there?
TRUMP: Well, when you have 29 people and you have armored vehicles, and you had all of the other — you know, many people know Roger, and Roger is not a person that they would have to worry about form that standpoint. And I thought it was sad to see it. Very sad.
TheDC: Would you ask the FBI to review its use of force, its militarization when it handles cases like this?
TRUMP: I think it’s a good question for you to ask, and it’s something I’ll think about.
TheDC: One last question related to that. On the Paddock case, all of America was interested to find out what happened there.
TRUMP: Including me.
TheDC: Of course. And I wonder how many resources in the FBI were committed to the Paddock case vs committed to the Mueller investigation. How much money was spent? How many people were on those things? How do those two things compare?
TRUMP: What a great question that is. It’s one of the better questions. I hope you’re going to play your question because that is a very interesting — you’re talking about, I guess they’re well over 30 million dollars now on this Russian collusion hoax, and everybody knows it’s a hoax. They’ve spent all this money. Nothing. No phone calls, no meetings, no nothing. You look at it, and you say, isn’t that sad to have devoted this time, this energy over a — you know, look, there’s been numerous books written right now, including number one best sellers, calling it a “hoax.” And it is very sad. That is very sad. By the way, to me, both very sad events. But that is very interesting to ask, where you’ve had so many people killed, and so badly wounded, because I went to the hospital. You had people so badly wounded. People never talk about the wounded. The level of hurt and devastation for a whole lifetime. You know, many people just devastated for a lifetime. They’ll never be the same. And you look at that by comparison to the Russian hoax, it’s a shame. The Russian witch hunt, it’s a shame.