.MaddowBlog: Pres. Trump puts the FBI's Chris Wray in the hot seat.
Last fall, NBC News reported that Donald Trump has been known to privately complain about his FBI chief, believing that Wray is “not protecting his interests.” The president’s concerns are suddenly a lot less private.
“I didn’t understand [Wray’s] answer,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn. “I thought the attorney general answered it perfectly. So I certainly didn’t understand that answer. I thought it was a ridiculous answer.” Despite the dubious and needlessly provocative nature of the attorney general’s comments – which he’s refused to retract – Republicans seized on Barr’s assessment, with the president’s re-election campaign even using his “spying” talk as the basis for political fundraising.
For his trouble, the bureau’s director quickly found himself in the president’s crosshairs: Trump tweeted over the weekend that the FBI “has no leadership,” which was a rather pointed shot given that Trump was the one who handpicked Wray for the job. This morning, the president took another swing, despite the fact that there was nothing “ridiculous” about Wray’s testimony.
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