Kinzinger: Trump Attacks On Mueller Probe Not 'Helpful At All'
CHICAGO (CBS/CNN) -- Republican Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger said he disagrees with President Donald Trump that the FBI's raid of Trump attorney Michael Cohen's office is an attack on the country, and said the president's repeated criticisms of the federal investigation are not helpful.
On Monday, the FBI raided the home, office, and a hotel room of the president's personal lawyer, Michael Coehn, seizing materials and documents as part of an investigation into possible campaign finance violations, bank fraud, and other potential crimes.
Trump has lashed out at the raid, complaining during a meeting with advisers that "it's a disgraceful situation" and "a total witch hunt."
"It's a real disgrace," Mr. Trump said. He called it "an attack on our country," and he complained, "That is really a whole new level of unfairness." And he insisted again that there was "no collusion" with Russia.
The president also took to Twitter to air his complaints Tuesday morning.
In an interview on CNN on Tuesday, Kinzinger said he doesn't consider the federal investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller an attack on the country.
"Justice needs to be served in whatever capacity, so it's not an attack on our country," he said.
The congressman also said Trump's repeated attacks against Mueller, the FBI, and the Justice Department aren't helping.
"I don't think it's helpful at all," he said. "Whenever you tweet, there can be trouble, especially when it's a tweet based out of what's going on at the moment. So I wish he didn't, but at the same time again, I think we'll get ultimate answers when this is done."
Kinzinger said he's confident the public will find out the truth once the investigation is wrapped up.
"All I know is the FBI determined that they were going to raid. They probably have a reason for saying that, and I'll find out what that reason is, ultimately. I don't like getting in and kind of micromanaging this investigation. What I've said from the beginning is Americans want to know the truth, and I think we're going to know the truth on everything when it's over," he said.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN contributed to this report.)
