WASHINGTON — Nearly two weeks after declaring that the FBI's reputation was in "tatters," President Trump kept up his stinging criticism of the agency Friday in advance of his appearance at the bureau's national training center.

"It's a shame what's happened with the FBI," Trump said before traveling to the bureau's National Academy in Quantico, Va. "We're going to rebuild the FBI; it'll be bigger and better than ever."

Trump said there is "a level of anger" within the bureau following the removal of a top FBI agent from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election for exchanging anti-Trump text messages with a bureau colleague. Mueller's inquiry includes a review of possible obstruction of justice by the president for his abrupt May dismissal of FBI Director James Comey for his handling the of the Russia inquiry.

"It is very sad when you look at those documents," the president said, referring to the exchanges involving FBI counter-intelligence agent Peter Strzok and bureau lawyer Lisa Page. "How they've done that is really, really disgraceful... It's a very sad thing to watch, I will tell you that.

But later Friday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that he didn't "share" the president's displeasure with the bureau. Sessions' comments at an afternoon briefing on rising violent crime marked the first time he had addressed Trump's rebukes of the bureau.

"I don't share the view that the FBI is not functioning at a high level all over the country," Sessions said. "In my view, the FBI has a huge national security requirement, but it also is fulfilling a fabulously important role" in combating violent crime.

Earlier this month, FBI Director Christopher Wray offered a ringing defense of the agency in the wake of Trump's rebukes in which the president claimed that the bureau's standing was the "worst in history."

"It is the honor of my life to lead the FBI," Wray told the House Judiciary Committee. "There is no finer institution than the FBI and no finer people who work there."

While he did not mention Trump by name, Wray insisted that "the FBI I see are tens of thousands of agents who working their tails off. The FBI I see are tens of thousands of men and woman who are hard-charging people of integrity."

When asked directly how the president's criticism has affected FBI agents and their work, Wray told the panel, "the agents, analysts and staff of the FBI are big boys and girls. We understand we will take criticism from all corners." However, he added, "my experience is that our reputation is quite good."

Trump's initial criticism followed the Dec. 1 indictment and guilty plea of former national security adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Flynn also has agreed to cooperate with federal investigators in the ongoing Russia, but Trump appeared Friday to raise the prospect of a possible pardon for the former three-star Army general even as Flynn faces the obligation to assist Mueller's investigation.

Asked directly about Flynn's case, Trump said: "I don't want to talk about pardons for Michael Flynn yet. We'll see what happens. Let's see."

During his speech to more than 200 academy graduates — a cadre of local police officers who had completed 11 weeks of advanced training — Trump made no mention of his displeasure with the bureau.

Instead, he thanked the FBI and pledged full support to law enforcement in the face of rising violent crime in several major cities across the country.

"The president of United States has your back 100 percent," Trump said at the event, where he was joined by Wray and Sessions. "I will fight for you, and I will never ever let you down."

He called specific attention to Chicago, which has been plagued by violence in recent years. Though so far this year, murder is down by 15% and shooting incidents have declined by 21%, according to city records.

"What the hell is happening in Chicago?" Trump said. "What the hell is happening there?"

He said that an increasing number of law enforcement officers were being threatened with violence and he urged that "killers of police should get the death penalty."

"You are great people; you are incredible people," the president said.

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