In an interview Wednesday with the New York Post, President Donald Trump said if House Democrats launch “phony” investigations into his administration – which he labeled “presidential harassment” – they’d pay a big price.
“If they go down the presidential harassment track, if they want go and harass the president and the administration, I think that would be the best thing that would happen to me. I’m a counter-puncher and I will hit them so hard they’d never been hit like that,” he told The Post.
Trump said he would declassify key FISA warrant applications and other documents from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation – and said that the reveal would expose the Department of Justice, FBI, Mueller, and Clinton campaign as engaging in a concerted effort to frame him with a non-existent and falsely created crime, Collusion with Russia.
Trump told The Post he wanted to save the documents until needed.
“It’s much more powerful if I do it then,” Trump said, “because if we had done it already, it would already be yesterday’s news.”
Trump revealed his plans to The Post, as Democrats plan to take over House committees in January, where they’re expected to investigate alleged conflicts of interest, tax returns, potential deals with Russia, and more.
The documents include DOJ officials’ request to spy on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and memos on Bruce Ohr’s interactions with Christopher Steele, the author of the infamous anti-Trump dossier that alleged Trump ties with Russia.
Trump initially agreed to declassify the documents, including texts sent by former FBI officials James Comey, Andy McCabe, Peter Strzok, Lisa Page and Bruce Ohr, but later reversed course.
Trump went on to tell The Post that his attorney, Emmet Flood, advised him that it would be better, politically, to wait.
“He didn’t want me to do it yet, because I can save it.”
Trump also pushed back on the claim that all documents should be released for transparency.
“Some things maybe the public shouldn’t see because they are so bad,” the President said, adding, “Maybe it’s better that the public not see what’s been going on with this country.”