Trump says Susan Rice may have committed a crime, defends O’Reilly
President Trump said former national security advisor Susan Rice might have committed a crime by asking for identities involved in Russian communications.
On Wednesday during an interview in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump claimed that former national security advisor Susan Rice might have committed a crime by asking for the identities of people close to Trump who were mentioned in intercepted communications.
“I think it’s going to be the biggest story,” Trump said, per The New York Times. “It’s such an important story for our country and the world. It is one of the big stories of our time.”
He would not say whether there was any new intelligence that would support his claims but said instead that he would explain himself “at the right time.”
Asked if Rice had committed a crime in asking for the identities of those mentioned in the communications, Trump replied, “Do I think? Yes, I think.”
Trump went on to criticize media outlets for not covering the allegations of impropriety against Rice fully before defending Bill O’Reilly, who recently settled several lawsuits filed against him for sexual harassment.
“I think he shouldn’t have settled; personally I think he shouldn’t have settled,” Trump said of O’Reilly. “Because you should have taken it all the way. I don’t think Bill did anything wrong.”
As for Rice herself, she has denied any allegations of impropriety and said during an interview with MSNBC, “The allegation is that somehow the Obama administration officials utilized intelligence for political purposes. That’s absolutely false.”
