CNN’s Jake Tapper on Thursday took on Donald Trump’s attack on the FBI after director Christopher Wray testified before the House Judicial Committee, fielding pointed questions from Republicans about the independence of the Bureau.
Wray’s testimony came as Trump on Sunday disparaged the chief law enforcement agency, insisting the bureau is “in Tatters.” The FBI director refuted his characterization, as Republicans on the panel sought to undermine Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation.
“For months, President Trump and allies on the Hill and in the pro-Trump media have sought to undermine any institution that pose any challenge to him,” Tapper explained. “We've seen the attacks on legislative oversight, intelligence agencies, the judiciary, journalists.”
“Currently, this phenomenon is carrying out with vicious attacks on the integrity of federal law enforcement officials,” Tapper continued. “The president's views on FBI investigations are not difficult to predict—when they're of his opponents, he applauds them, as he did in the days rights before election day 2016.”
The CNN host played a clip of Trump praising former FBI director James Comey over the bureau’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server.
“Soon enough, Comey was investigating the matters the president did not like, and he was fired,” Tapper recounted. “The current FBI investigation and special council Robert Mueller now under vicious, some might even say ludicrous attacks.”
Watch below, via CNN:
