shadow government out there actively plotting to sabotage him? >> ah, look. the president finds some of those actions very disturbing and he thinks that we need to make sure if there is an issue, that it's looked at. >> reporter: does he believe the entire justice department and its more than 100,000 employees are part of this deep state? >> obviously, he doesn't believe the entire justice department is part of that. >> reporter: the president stoking the conspiracy theory of a shadow deep state as special counsel robert mueller's investigation into possible russian collusion closes in on his inner circle. and he has been publicly encouraging the justice department to investigate the clintons and some of his other political enemies. the department's inspector general now investigating the fbi's handling of the hillary clinton e-mail probe. the president tells "the new york times" he's, quote, "uninvolved" with that investigation, but he adds, "i have absolute right to do what i