Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) pushed back on Republican claims that the Justice Department is targeting Donald Trump with a reminder of why the former president and those closest to him have been in legal hot water.
The moment came during a Judiciary Committee hearing in which GOP lawmakers repeatedly attacked FBI Director Christopher Wray as biased against conservatives.
Wray called that “insane” given his background as a Republican who was appointed to his position by Trump and had previously served in the administration of President George W. Bush.
Lieu backed him up with a series of pointed questions naming figures close to Trump who have faced charges ― including longtime friend and adviser Roger Stone, donor Elliott Broidy, personal attorney Michael Cohen and campaign manager Paul Manafort, and were all convicted under Trump-appointed attorneys general.
“It is not the fault of the FBI that Donald Trump surrounded himself with criminals,” Lieu concluded. “Donald Trump brought that upon himself. Thank you to the FBI for exposing the cesspool of corruption of these Trump associates.”
See the full exchange below: