CNN’s Brian Stelter blasted President Donald Trump for his tweetstorm late Saturday night in which he suggested the FBI was too preoccupied with the Russia probe to prevent the Parkland school shooting.
“While these grieving students in Parkland, Florida, are asking politicians to protect them, announcing a march on Washington, the President of the United States is making it about himself,” Stelter said on Sunday’s “Reliable Sources.”
Stelter was referencing the POTUS’ stream of tweets that began late Saturday night, one of which said, “[FBI agents] are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign – there is no collusion.”
To that, Stelter said, “Let’s be clear – the president is insulting your intelligence.”
He went on to point out the FBI employs 35,000 people, of which only a small percentage are working on special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election and have nothing to do with the investigation of tips like the one that was missed before the Parkland shooting.
But why did Trump think there were Russia-obsessed FBI agents who didn’t have time to protect the public, Stelter wondered? He cued a string of clips that aired on Fox News, including one of its contributors Geraldo Rivera, to answer that question.
“I want you to see what’s going on behind-the-scenes,” Stelter said, focusing on Rivera, who first mentioned the FBI Saturday morning and then, according to the Washington Post, had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-lago Saturday evening.
“Now, when did Trump tweet that nonsensical claim? 11 p.m. Saturday,” Stelter said. “You tell me if there’s a connection there.”
You can watch Stelter’s entire commentary above.
Meanwhile, the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, have also begun to comment on the president’s tweets, and concur with Stelter’s assessment that Trump made the shooting “about himself.”
https://twitter.com/morganw_44/status/965198475540549632
…my friends were brutally murdered and you have the nerve to make this about Russia. I can not believe this https://t.co/JoEasIsu3V
— Kyra Parrow 🦋 (@longlivekcx) February 18, 2018
17 of my classmates are gone. That’s 17 futures, 17 children, and 17 friends stolen. But you’re right, it always has to be about you. How silly of me to forget. #neveragain https://t.co/i6Hldlo0Aq
— Aly Sheehy Ⓥ (@Aly_Sheehy) February 18, 2018