Donald Trump: 'I'm actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country'

President Donald Trump asserted on Tuesday that he has a right to interfere in the U.S. justice system because he is "the chief law enforcement officer of the country."

Before departing to California Tuesday afternoon, Trump was asked about whether he had weighed in with Attorney General William Barr on the sentencing of Roger Stone.

Trump insisted that he had not spoken to Barr about Stone, but he reserved the right to do so in the future.

"I'm actually, I guess, the chief law enforcement officer of the country," Trump said. "But I've chosen not to be involved."

"I could be involved if I wanted to be," he added.

The president also claimed that he has not considered a pardon for Stone.

"Chief law enforcement officer" is usually a title reserved for the attorney general.

The White House website explains (emphasis added):

The DOJ is comprised of 40 component organizations, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The Attorney General is the head of the DOJ and chief law enforcement officer of the federal government. The Attorney General represents the United States in legal matters, advises the President and the heads of the executive departments of the government, and occasionally appears in person before the Supreme Court.

Watch the video below from Fox News.