Donald Trump Blames FBI's Attention on Russia Collusion for Missed Florida School Shooting Tip

Lindsay Kimble
Updated

President Donald Trump lashed out at the FBI via Twitter on Saturday night, asserting that the organization was preoccupied investigating his presidential campaign and neglected to follow up on information about the shooter who killed 17 when he opened fire at a Florida high school on Wednesday.

“Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable,” he wrote. “They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign — there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!”

Trump’s remarks came after the FBI revealed it had received a tip in January that 19-year-old alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz was a potential threat. According to a press release, a caller told the bureau about “Cruz’s gun ownership, desire to kill people, erratic behavior, and disturbing social media posts, as well as the potential of him conducting a school shooting.”

The agency said Friday that agents failed to investigate.

The tweets also followed the Friday indictment in which the U.S. special counsel led by Robert Mueller accused 13 Russians of plotting to meddle in the 2016 presidential election through a social media campaign.

Donald Trump
Donald Trump

Trump also tweeted Saturday, “Just like they don’t want to solve the DACA problem, why didn’t the Democrats pass gun control legislation when they had both the House & Senate during the Obama Administration. Because they didn’t want to, and now they just talk!”

Critics came out for Trump, saying he was more concerned with his reputation than the tragedy that occurred at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Florida’s Republican Gov. Rick Scott, a Trump ally, previously called for FBI Director Christopher Wray to resign.

“The FBI’s failure to take action against this killer is unacceptable,” he said in a statement on Friday. “The FBI has admitted that they were contacted last month by a person who called to inform them of Cruz’s ‘desire to kill people,’ and ‘the potential of him conducting a school shooting.”

He continued, “Seventeen innocent people are dead and acknowledging a mistake isn’t going to cut it. An apology will never bring these 17 Floridians back to life or comfort the families who are in pain. The families will spend a lifetime wondering how this could happen, and an apology will never give them the answers they desperately need.”

“We constantly promote ‘see something, say something,’ and a courageous person did just that to the FBI. And the FBI failed to act. ‘See something, say something’ is an incredibly important tool and people must have confidence in the follow through from law enforcement. The FBI Director needs to resign.”

FEBRUARY 16, 2018? Our entire Nation, with one heavy heart, continues to pray for the victims and their families in Parkland, Florida. To teachers, law enforcement, first responders and medical professionals who responded so bravely in the face of danger: We THANK YOU for your courage — and we are here for you, ALWAYS! Our administration is working closely with local authorities to investigate the shooting and learn everything we can. We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools, and tackle the difficult issue of mental health. God Bless You All — and THANK YOU!

A post shared by President Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Feb 16, 2018 at 8:45pm PST

Trump visited victims of the shooting with First Lady Melania Trump on Friday.

“Our administration is working closely with local authorities to investigate the shooting and learn everything we can,” read a caption from his Instagram. “We are committed to working with state and local leaders to help secure our schools, and tackle the difficult issue of mental health.”