President Donald Trump promised to rebuild the FBI on Friday, saying it was “sad” to see the documents detailing political bias from senior officials.
“It’s a shame what’s happened with the FBI,” he said. “But we’re going to rebuild the FBI. It will be bigger and better than ever.”
Trump made his comments after leaving the White House to deliver a speech to the graduating class of the FBI national academy.
He commented that among many Americans there was a “level of anger at what they’ve been witnessing” and called it “certainly very sad.”
But after reaching the FBI headquarters, Trump was very effusive in his praise of the agents, despite his apparent concerns about a few bad actors at the top.
“The President of the United States has your back 100 percent,” he told the graduates. “I will fight for you and will never ever let you down. Ever.”
He said that law enforcement was not a career but rather a “calling” that many of his own friends answered. Trump condemned the growing anti-police sentiment in the country over the past few years.
“It’s wrong, it’s dangerous and we will not stand for it,” he said.
Trump also earned wild applause from the audience when he called for the death penalty for criminals who killed police officers.