President Donald Trump claimed on Thursday that it's likely former FBI Director James Comey led an effort to spy on his campaign in 2016.

And he told a Fox News Channel interviewer that he intends to declassify documents related to controversial surveillance warrants 'pretty soon.'

White House officials have vented both publicly and privately for more than a year about warrants the Obama Justice Department obtained from a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court to monitor Carter Page, then a Trump campaign foreign policy adviser.

The president signaled Friday morning that a reckoning was near.

'Finally, Mainstream Media is getting involved - too “hot” to avoid,' he tweeted, citing a front-page New York Times story about 'effort to spy on Trump Campaign.'

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he plans to declassify 'everything' related to the Obama administration's campaign-year 'spying' on his campaign

Trump blames former FBI Director James Comey for 'probably' leading an effort to win approval for surveillance of one of his campaign foreign policy aides

The president mocked The New York Times for 'finally' reporting on Obama-era efforts to spy on his campaign

'Pulitzer Prize anyone? ... This is bigger than WATERGATE, but the reverse!' the president wrote.

He didn't set a firm timetable on Fox News for declassifying the materials related to the FISA warrants, saying he would do it 'soon, I mean whenever they need it.'

'I will be declassifying, yes.' he said. 'Everything.'

Trump made a point of blasting Comey, who called him 'amoral' in a New York Times op-ed this week.

'Comey leaked and he lied. He lied in front to Congress,' he said, renewing themes that are now nearly as old as his presidency.

And the FBI director who he fired two years ago likely was in charge of scooping up intelligence aimed at preventing his victory, he claimed.

'I would say he probably led some kind of an effort,' Trump said of Comey. 'The word 'spying' has been used. He probably was one of the people leading the effort on spying.'

'It could very well be true. We are going to find out pretty soon,' he said.

Carter Page, pictured last October in Los Angeles, was the subject of several intelligence warrants approved by a secretive federal court

Attorney General William Barr told Congress in April that 'spying on a political campaign is a big deal,' and added: 'I think spying did occur.'

Barr didn't offer evidence to support his conclusions, but he is one of a small number of government officials with access to classified materials related to the previous administration's counter-intelligence operations related to the Trump campaign.

Barr didn't object categorically at the time to the idea of the Justice Department 'spying' on a political campaign.

'The question is whether it was predicated — adequately predicated,' he testified. 'I'm not suggesting it wasn't adequately predicated, but I need to explore that. I think it's my obligation. Congress is usually very concerned about intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies staying in their proper lane.'

Barr told a Senate panel on Wednesday that the word 'spying' doesn't necessarily carry a negative connotation, but refers to ordinary intelligence work.

Comey said last month in New York that he disagreed.

'When I hear that kind of language used, it's concerning,' he told an audience at a Hewlett Foundation event, 'because the FBI, the Department of Justice, conduct court-ordered electronic surveillance. I have never thought of that as spying.'

'I have no idea what the heck he's talking about,' Comey said.

Trump said hours later at the White House that 'there was absolutely spying into my campaign.'

'I'll go a step further: In my opinion, it was illegal spying, unprecedented spying, and something that should never be allowed to happen in our country again,' he said, 'and I think his answer was actually a very accurate one.'

Trump has complained about 'spying' on his campaign since March 4, 2017, when he stunned politics-watchers by claiming in an unprompted tweet that 'Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!'

He returned to the theme less than three weeks ago, tweeting: 'THEY SPIED ON MY CAMPAIGN (We will never forget)!'