One day after Mueller tacitly encouraged Democrats to initiate impeachment proceedings against him, President Trump doubled down on his criticisms of the former special counsel during an impromptu scrum with reporters on the White House lawn on Thursday as he prepared to leave for Colorado to give the commencement address at the Air Force Academy.
Calling Mueller a “true ‘Never Trumper'”, Trump slammed the special counsel for being ‘totally conflicted’ while slamming the Mueller probe as a $40 million boondoggle. He also slammed the “totally conflicted” Mueller, saying the special counsel held a grudge for not being re-appointed to lead the FBI after Comey’s firing.
Pres. Trump again claims that special counsel Robert Mueller “wanted to be the FBI director and I said no.”
“And he loves Comey … whether it’s love or deep like, but he was conflicted, Look, Robert Mueller should have never been chosen,” he adds. https://t.co/eWjzLHSv5j pic.twitter.com/y5ztoBpW9c
— ABC News (@ABC) May 30, 2019
Trump also appeared to contradict a tweet he had sent just minutes prior, by telling reporters that Russia didn’t help him get elected.
On Thursday morning, Trump tweeted that Russia had “disappeared” from the headlines since Mueller had determined that “I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected.”
Russia, Russia, Russia! That’s all you heard at the beginning of this Witch Hunt Hoax…And now Russia has disappeared because I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected. It was a crime that didn’t exist. So now the Dems and their partner, the Fake News Media,…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019
….say he fought back against this phony crime that didn’t exist, this horrendous false accusation, and he shouldn’t fight back, he should just sit back and take it. Could this be Obstruction? No, Mueller didn’t find Obstruction either. Presidential Harassment!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019
Asked by reporters at the press conference whether Russia helped him defeat Hillary Clinton, Trump denied it, and said he deserved all the credit for his victory over Hillary Clinton, adding that, if anything, Russia had tried to help the other side.
“Russia did not help me get elected…you know who got me elected? I got me elected. Russia, if anything, helped the other side.”
Trump then reiterated that Russia would have rather had Hillary Clinton in the White House than him, because “nobody has been tougher on Russia than me.”
President Trump: “No, Russia did not help me get elected. Do you know who got me elected? I got me elected” pic.twitter.com/irZx23GCqE
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) May 30, 2019
Before boarding his helicopter, Trump also appeared to contradict the Navy’s denial of a WSJ report that the White House had asked that the USS John McCain be covered up during Trump’s visit to Japan. Trump merely said he had nothing to do with the decision. “They thought they were doing me a favor.”
While he’s been tough on Russia, Trump insisted that he wanted to get alongwith everybody, including Russia, China and Iran, and that, if Iran wants to talk, “I’m available.”
via ZeroHedge News http://bit.ly/2JNYm46 Tyler Durden