Posted originally on the CTH on December 8, 2024 | Sundance 

This is a critically important segment of the President Trump interview with NBC.  Within this segment President Trump is asked whether he would direct, encourage or seek to have Attorney General Pam Bondi or FBI Director Kash Patel target the previous administration officials.

President Trump says there would be no instruction from him to appoint a special counsel or special investigator(s) for the conduct of Joe Biden or previous administration officials.  However, President Trump also takes the opportunity to note the targeting and weaponization the former Biden administration directed toward him.

SEGMENT TRANSCRIPT – KRISTEN WELKER: Ok. Let’s talk about some of your picks to fill out your administration. You named Kash Patel to be the next FBI director.

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah.

KRISTEN WELKER: He has a list in his book of 60 people that he calls members of the so-called “deep state.” It includes Democrats like Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton. It includes former members of your cabinet, from Bill Barr to Christopher Wray. You campaigned on destroying the deep state. Do you want Kash Patel to launch investigations into people on that list?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: No. I mean, he’s going to do what he thinks is right. And I will —

KRISTEN WELKER: Well, do you think that’s right?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: — and I will —

KRISTEN WELKER: Do you think that’s right, sir?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP: If they think that somebody was dishonest or crooked or a corrupt politician, I think he probably has an obligation to do it, but —

KRISTEN WELKER: Are you going to direct him to do it?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

No. Not at all. Not at all. We have two great people that — we have him, and we have Pam. And Pam Bondi has been like a rocket ship. She’s very popular and very good and very fair. And Kash Patel is very fair. I’ll tell you. I thought Kash may be difficult because he’s, you know, a strong conservative voice, and I don’t know of anybody that’s not singing his praises. The other day, I was watching, and Trey Gowdy, who’s a moderate person and very smart and very respected in the party, he’s Kash’s biggest fan. He said, “This is the most misunderstood man in politics. He’s great.” I guess they worked together on the Russia hoax or something, and Trey Gowdy became a fan. Trey, you know, Trey Gowdy. Everybody respects him, and, you know, just like him, others also, I don’t know of one negative vote — I don’t think he’s going to have any negative votes.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Is it your expectation, though, that Kash Patel will pursue investigations against your political enemies?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

No, I don’t think so.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Do you want to see that happen?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

If they were crooked, if they did something wrong, if they have broken the law, probably. They went after me. You know, they went after me and I did nothing wrong.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Well, let me ask you this. You said, President Biden, quote, that you’re going to appoint a real special prosecutor to go after Joe Biden. You said that during —

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

Where did I say that?

KRISTEN WELKER:

— the campaign

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

Where?

KRISTEN WELKER:

You said that on Truth Social, June 12, 2023: “I will appoint a real special prosecutor to go after the most corrupt president in the history of the United States, Joe Biden —

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

Well, that part is true.

KRISTEN WELKER:

— and the entire Biden crime family.” Are you going to do that? Are you going to go after Joe Biden?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

I’m really looking to make our country successful. I’m not looking to go back into the past. I’m looking to make our country successful. Retribution will be through success. If we can make our success — this country successful, that would be my greatest, that would be such a great achievement. Bring it back. We have a country now that’s overridden with crime, that has millions of people that shouldn’t be here, that should be in prisons in other countries, that should be in mental institutions. We have drug lords being dropped into our country and told never go back to their country. I’m looking to make our country great. I’m looking to get — bring prices down. Because, you know, I won on two things, the border and more than immigration. You know, they like to say immigration, I break it down more to the border, but I won on the border, and I won on groceries. Very simple word, groceries. Like almost — you know, who uses the word? I started using the word — the groceries. When you buy apples, when you buy bacon, when you buy eggs, they would double and triple the price over a short period of time, and I won an election based on that. We’re going to bring those prices way down.

KRISTEN WELKER:

I want to pause here, because what you’re saying is significant. Because you wrote on Truth

Social in 2023 that you’re going to appoint a real special prosecutor to go after Joe Biden. Now you’re saying you’re not going to do that.

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

I will say this, no, I’m not doing that unless I find something that I think is reasonable, but that’s not going to be my decision. That’s going to be Pam Bondi’s decision, and, to a different extent, Kash Patel, assuming they’re both there, and I think they’re both going to get approved. But I — I — you know, while you ask me that, what they’ve done to me with weaponization is a disgrace.

KRISTEN WELKER:

We’ll get to some of that, sir —

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

No, no, wait, wait, wait, you can’t do one without the other. In the history of our country, nothing like this has ever happened. And I’ve won these cases. I’ve won every one and the rest are in the process of being won. Deranged Jack Smith is on his way back to The Hague where he can execute people. This is where he should have stayed. I don’t — I think he’s dangerous even being there. But I’ll tell you what, what they’ve done to me in terms of weaponization, indictments, impeachments and everything else. And in the end, it probably helped, because I got the biggest vote, the most votes any Republican’s ever gotten in history.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Do — Pam Bondi talks about investigating the investigators. Do you want her to investigate Jack Smith based —

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

I want her to do what she wants to do.

KRISTEN WELKER:

— do you want to see Jack Smith investigated?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

Well, I think he’s very corrupt, but I want her to do whatever she —

KRISTEN WELKER:

Are you going to direct her —

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

No, I’m not, I’m not

KRISTEN WELKER:

— to prosecute Jack Smith?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

She’s a very smart person. She’s — She was a great attorney general in Florida. She’s very experienced. I want her to do what she wants to do. I’m not going to instruct her to do it, no.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Sir, are you going to fire the current FBI director, Christopher Wray, who you appointed?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

Well, I can’t say I’m thrilled with him. He invaded my home. I’m suing the country over it. He invaded Mar-a-Lago. I’m very unhappy with the things he — he’s done, and crime is at an all time high. Migrants are pouring into the country that are from prisons and from mental institutions, as we’ve discussed. I can’t say I’m thrilled. I don’t want to say — I don’t want to, again, I don’t want to be Joe Biden and give you an answer and then do the exact opposite —

KRISTEN WELKER:

We’re going to talk about that —

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

— so I’m not going to do that. What I’m going to say is I certainly cannot be happy with him. You take a look at what’s happened. And then when I was shot in the ear, he said, “Oh, maybe it was shrapnel.” Where’s the shrapnel coming from? Is it coming from — is it coming from heaven? I don’t think so. So we need somebody to straighten — you know, I have a lot of respect for the FBI, but the FBI’s respect has gone way down over the last number of years.

KRISTEN WELKER:

Don’t you have to fire him in order to make room for Kash Patel —

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

Yeah, but —

KRISTEN WELKER:

— if he is, in fact, confirmed?

PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP:

Well, I mean, it would sort of seem pretty obvious that if Kash gets in, he’s going to be taking somebody’s place, right? Somebody is the man that you’re talking about.