Fox News anchor Shepard Smith said President Trump’s ire aimed at the Justice Department and the FBI could develop into a “constitutional crisis.”

“Think of where we are today,” Smith said on Thursday. “In the midst of a criminal investigation, two Trump associates are under indictment, two more have pleaded guilty, admitting they lied to investigators. As the special counsel appears to be approaching the Oval Office, with the news he wants to interview the president himself. The FBI and the Justice Department are under fire from the president, and his supporters have crafted a document to cast doubt on the investigators’ integrity.”

“The White House and the Justice Department are at odds in an affront to our system of government and as a precursor of what could become a constitutional crisis,” he added.



Smith's comments come during a turbulent time for the FBI, as Trump is poised to allow the public release of a House Intelligence Committee memo that reportedly details surveillance abuses by the Department of Justice and FBI. The Democrats and the FBI have warned against the report's release.

Meanwhile, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, whom Trump has criticized, made his resignation official on Monday, as other top officials have also departed.

Last week it was reported that last year Trump issued an order to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating if the Trump campaign colluded with the Kremlin during the 2016 election. Trump, however, balked when his counsel objected and threatened to quit.

Trump has signaled in recent days he is open to interviewing with Mueller, but the details still need to be arranged by his legal team.