Trump Criticized by Democrats & Republicans for Saying He'd Take Dirt from Foreign Governments

President Donald Trump’s admission about his willingness to listen to any information that might be damaging to his political opponents, even if it comes from China and Russia, has earned him criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike.

After speaking about the Mueller report, which did not find evidence that Trump’s campaign conspired with Russia to interfere with the 2016 election, Trump told ABC News’ George Stephanopolous that going forward, if he’s approached about dirt on his 2020 opponents by foreign nations, he’ll consider listening to the information.

“I think you might want to listen, there’s nothing wrong with listening,” he said during Wednesday’s interview. “If somebody called from a country, Norway, ‘We have information on your opponent.’ Oh, I think I’d want to hear it.”

When asked if he wants “that kind of interference in our elections,” Trump responded, “It’s not an interference, they have information. I think I’d take it. If I thought there was something wrong, I’d go maybe to the FBI. If I thought there was something wrong. But when somebody comes up with oppo research, right, they come up with oppo research. ‘Oh, let’s call the FBI.’ The FBI doesn’t have enough agents to take care of it, but you go and talk honestly to congressmen, they all do it, they always have. And that’s the way it is. It’s called oppo research.”

During the interview, Trump also rejected comments made by FBI Director Christopher Wray last month in front of Congress about how “the FBI would want to know about” any potential election meddling.

“The FBI director is wrong, because frankly, it doesn’t happen like that in life,” Trump remarked. “Now, maybe it will start happening. Maybe today you think differently. But two or three years ago, if somebody comes into your office with oppo research — they call it oppo research — with information that might be good or bad or something, but good for you, bad for your opponent, you don’t call the FBI.”

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Trump went on to defend his comments on Twitter the following day, arguing that he shouldn’t have to let the FBI in on every detail of every discussion he has with leaders around the globe.

“I meet and talk to ‘foreign governments’ every day,” he wrote, referencing his recent state visit with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, and initially misspelling the latter royal’s official title, referring to the Prince of Wales as the “Prince of Whales.” The tweet, which also mentions recent meetings with leaders in Ireland, France and Poland, has since been corrected.

“We talked about ‘Everything!’ Should I immediately call the FBI about these calls and meetings? How ridiculous!” he added. “I would never be trusted again. With that being said, my full answer is rarely played by the Fake News Media. They purposely leave out the part that matters.”

However, Trump’s comments struck a chord with both Democrats and Republicans, who recognized the danger of accepting help from foreign governments.

“It’s a very sad thing that he doesn’t know his right from wrong,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. “It’s an invasion of our democracy. Everybody in the country should be totally appalled by what the president said.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who could face off against Trump in the upcoming presidential election, also labeled Trump’s comments as a “threat to our national security.”

“President Trump is once again welcoming foreign interference in our elections. This isn’t about politics. It is a threat to our national security. An American President should not seek their aid and abet those who seek to undermine democracy,” he tweeted.

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Taking things one step further, fellow presidential hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren called for Trump’s impeachment.

“The #MuellerReport made it clear: A foreign government attacked our 2016 elections to support Trump, Trump welcomed that help, and Trump obstructed the investigation. Now, he said he’d do it all over again,” she wrote. “It’s time to impeach Donald Trump.”

High-ranking Republicans also spoke out against Trump, making it clear they did not stand behind the idea of foreign interference in American elections.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump ally, called Trump’s comments “a mistake of law” and said we “don’t want to send a signal to encourage this,” according to the Associated Press.

Added Sen. Marco Rubio, “If a foreign agent or a cutout for a foreign agent approaches any American politician, they should report that to the FBI.”