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Talking to reporters on the White House South Lawn ahead of a
trip to Colorado, Trump grew animated in reacting to a statement
from U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Wednesday.
Mueller said his report on Russian collusion in the 2016
presidential campaign did not clear Trump of obstruction of
justice and indicated it was up to Congress to decide whether he
should be impeached.
Mueller's statement fueled an increase in calls from Democratic
lawmakers for impeachment proceedings, and U.S. House of
Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, reacting to Mueller's
statement, said "nothing is off the table."
Asked if he expected to be impeached, Trump said: "I don't see
how ... It's a dirty, filthy, disgusting word ... It's a giant
presidential harassment."
He cited the U.S. Constitution's language that a president can
be charged with "high crimes and misdemeanors."
"There was no crime. There was no misdemeanor," he said.
While House Democrats have yet to decide whether to pursue
impeachment, they are pressing forward with a number of
investigations spinning off from the Russia probe.
The Trump administration is fighting those congressional
efforts, including an attempt by the Democratic chairman of the
House tax-writing panel to obtain the president's tax returns.
The top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden,
said on Thursday the U.S. Treasury had been "unresponsive" to
questions about Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's decision not
to comply with the House demand for Trump's returns, and he
threatened to attempt to block any Treasury nominees if the
department was not forthcoming.
"Congress has a constitutional obligation to conduct oversight
of the executive branch," he said in a statement.
HELP FROM RUSSIA?
In a morning tweet, Trump had left the impression that he was
acknowledging that Russian interference helped him win the 2016
election over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Answering questions from
reporters, he later said the exact opposite.
"No, Russia did not help me get elected," he said, adding that
he needed no help in winning the election.
Trump heaped scorn on Mueller, calling him "totally conflicted"
in part because he had wanted to head the FBI.
"I told him NO. The next day he was named Special Counsel - A
total Conflict of Interest. NICE!," Trump said on Twitter,
without providing evidence that Mueller, a Republican, had
sought the FBI job.
Speaking to reporters, Trump also said that Mueller is a close
friend of former FBI Director James Comey, who Trump fired weeks
after taking office in early 2017.
"I think Mueller is a true 'never Trumper,'" Trump said.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe and
Alistair Bell)
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