Trump lashes out at ‘treasonous’ officials after McCabe interview
US President Donald Trump has issued an angry response after a TV interview on Sunday alleged that officials had held discussions to have him removed.
Mr Trump tweeted of “illegal and treasonous” behaviour and an “illegal coup attempt”.
In the interview, ex-acting FBI chief Andrew McCabe said talks had been held in 2017 about invoking a clause that can remove a president deemed unfit.
The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman has vowed to investigate the claims.
Lindsey Graham said the claims were an “attempted bureaucratic coup”.
Mr McCabe said Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein had held discussions on the number of cabinet members and others needed to invoke the clause, the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution.
How has Mr Trump responded to the claims?
In a series of tweets on Monday morning, he condemned “so many lies by now disgraced acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe. He was fired for lying and now his story gets even more deranged.
“He and Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by [then Attorney General] Jeff Sessions (another beauty), look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught.”
Mr Trump added: “There is a lot of explaining to do to the millions of people who had just elected a president who they really like and who has done a great job for them with the military. Vets. Economy and so much more. This was the illegal and treasonous ‘insurance policy’ in full action!”
The president quoted a comment on the Fox and Friends programme saying this was “an illegal coup attempt”, adding “True!”
The White House said Mr McCabe, who was fired last year for allegedly lying to government investigators, had “no credibility”.
The justice department said Mr McCabe’s account was “inaccurate and factually incorrect”.
Source: BBC