Trump Suggests Republicans Scuttle Russia Investigations
WASHINGTON ― President Donald Trump on Wednesday again insisted the multiple investigations into possible collusion between his campaign and Russia are “the single greatest witch hunt in American history” and suggested that Republicans “take control” of the investigations.
At a news conference with Norway’s prime minister, Trump said it was “unlikely” that he would give an interview to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators, something that is reportedly under consideration.
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump said.
In response to reporters’ questions, the president insisted multiple times that “there was no collusion,” claimed without evidence that “virtually everybody” has proved this, and repeated that Democrats and his presidential campaign opponent Hillary Clinton were the ones who colluded.
“The witch hunt continues,” he said, echoing a tweet from Wednesday morning, in which he also suggested Republicans should scuttle the investigation.
The single greatest Witch Hunt in American history continues. There was no collusion, everybody including the Dems knows there was no collusion, & yet on and on it goes. Russia & the world is laughing at the stupidity they are witnessing. Republicans should finally take control!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 10, 2018
Trump’s comments came on the same day that Senate Democrats released a report warning of future Russian interference in U.S. elections and chastising Trump for creating “a leadership vacuum” by repeatedly downplaying the issue.
On Wednesday morning, Trump also lashed out at Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) after she released a transcript of a Senate Judiciary Committee interview with the co-founder of the firm that produced the dossier describing Russian efforts to help the Trump campaign in the lead-up to the 2016 election.
Former British spy Christopher Steele compiled the dossier on behalf of Glenn Simpson’s firm, Fusion GPS. Simpson spoke to the Judiciary Committee about the work in August.
Feinstein’s decision to make Simpson’s testimony public went against the wishes of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), who said it “undermines the integrity of the committee’s oversight work.”
Trump, who coined the new nickname “Sneaky Dianne Feinstein,” called the document release “underhanded and possibly illegal” and a “disgrace” in a tweet Wednesday. He then suggested that, given no collusion has yet been proven, the “Republicans should finally take control.”
Simpson’s testimony didn’t offer any additional knowledge about whether collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government did occur. But Trump weighing into the discussion furthers the growing partisan divide around the investigations into election meddling. Republicans have attempted to discredit the dossier as a tool the FBI shouldn’t have trusted.
This article has been updated with Trump’s comments from a Wednesday news conference.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
