ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump said he “would not be bothered” seeing former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA Director John Brennan arrested in connection with Russiagate investigations.

"Would not bother me at all," said Trump in a Daily Caller interview revealed Saturday, when asked if he would be comfortable seeing the former officials handcuffed and arrested on television.

The comments follow Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard's declassification of Russiagate documents and criminal referral to the Justice Department. Trump said arrests "should" happen but noted he purposely avoids involvement in the process.

"I can say that they should be arrested," Trump told the Daily Caller, adding that guilt would depend on the investigation findings.

Trump characterized the officials' actions as disgraceful, stating they "cheated, they lied, they did so many bad things, evil things that were so bad for the country." He described them as "sick people" who "committed all the crimes."

The interview was conducted Friday, and excerpts of the hour-long interview were released Saturday. A full version will be available Monday.

The controversy stems from investigations into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential Trump campaign collusion. The FBI's Crossfire Hurricane investigation and subsequent probe by former FBI chief Robert Mueller found extensive Russian interference but insufficient evidence of criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia.

In 2025, the Justice Department opened a grand jury investigation into allegations that national security officials conspired to falsely link Trump to Russia, prompted by Gabbard's referral accusing the former administration of Barack Obama of intelligence manipulation.