Watchdog report on Russia probe shows FBI 'attempted overthrow' of govt: Trump

Washington: President Donald Trump has welcomed a new report from the Justice Department inspector general on the origins of the investigation into Russia's interference in the US election, saying it showed FBI officials attempted “an overthrow of the government” by investigating his 2016 presidential campaign.

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz's lengthy report issued Monday said that FBI agents were not motivated by political bias in deciding to open investigations into Trump campaign associates and aides during 2016 as part of the probe into Russia's election interference.

The inspector general, however, found numerous procedural errors in the handling of the probe, which placed members of Trump's election team under surveillance over their Russian contacts.

Reacting to the report, Trump said, "This was an overthrow of the government. This was an attempted overthrow."

"A lot of people who were in on it, and they got caught. They got caught red-handed," Trump told reporters on Monday at the White House soon after Horowitz released the report on FBI investigations. Trump alleged that they fabricated evidence and they lied to the courts, and they did all sorts of things to have it go their way.

“This was something that we can never allow to happen again,” he said.

"The report, actually -- and especially when you look into it, and the details of the report -- are far worse than anything I would have even imagined. What they were doing and what they would have done if I didn't make a certain move -- a certain move that was a very important move because it would have been even worse if that's possible. And they might have been able to succeed,” he said.