Trump says he could still target Clintons, Obama criminally

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he could still pursue criminal investigations against former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama. Speaking to Newsmax, he told host Rob Finnerty he possesses "a lot of information" about the former officials but has so far refrained from using it.

'Big numbers' threat

Trump said he had previously held back from targeting the three Democrats but retained the option to act. "I could have done numbers on Hillary Clinton, I could have done numbers on Bill Clinton, I do like Bill Clinton," he said, adding: "I could have done numbers on Barack Hussein Obama, still could, I still could. I could do big numbers if I wanted to. I turned down going after Hillary Clinton." He offered no specifics regarding the evidence he claimed to hold.

Asked to clarify his reference to "big numbers," Trump stated he could either "go after them criminally" or "destroy their reputations," though he provided no evidence to support his assertions. He indicated he was unlikely to pursue the former officials at this time, noting that he could face impeachment proceedings again if he did so, according to The Hill.

Scrutiny over political probes

The remarks come as the Trump administration faces criticism over a pattern of criminal investigations targeting perceived political adversaries. The Justice Department has brought charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who previously won a civil fraud case against Trump, and secured two indictments against former FBI Director James Comey — the first of which was dismissed after a judge ruled the prosecutor had been unlawfully appointed.

Federal prosecutors also attempted to indict six Democratic lawmakers over a video urging military personnel to disobey illegal orders, but a grand jury rejected the charges. The administration has additionally investigated Democratic Senator Adam Schiff of California, former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and Fed Governor Lisa Cook, with the Supreme Court blocking Trump's attempt to remove Cook from office.

Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton pleaded guilty in June to charges of illegally retaining sensitive documents, marking a rare prosecution of a former administration official. The conviction came as the Justice Department pursues cases against both critics and former allies of the president.