Russia inquiry greatest political hoax in history, says Trump
DONALD TRUMP dubbed Russian collusion allegations the “greatest political hoax” in US history yesterday as he turned the Robert Mueller report into a 2020 election rallying cry.
Addressing supporters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the US president repeatedly touted the special counsel’s recent conclusion that he had not conspired with the Kremlin.
Mr Trump mocked the “collusion delusion” during his Thursday evening address in the key swing state, cheered on by a boisterous crowd that chanted “four more years”.
He attacked the Democrats for continuing their “bulls---” investigations into his presidency and pointed the finger of suspicion at US intelligence services, saying: “They spied on me. They spied on our campaign. Who would even think that is possible? The single greatest political hoax in the history of our country. And guess what? We won. It’s a beautiful thing.”
The 82-minute rally is the clearest sign yet that Mr Trump is prepared to weaponise the Mueller report.
However, Democrats stood their ground by demanding that the full report be released to the public. Last night William Barr, the attorney general appointed by Mr Trump, said the report would be released by midapril, and that he was in the process of redacting sensitive material from the nearly 400-page report. Currently, just a four-page summary written by Mr Barr has been produced. It contained only about 100 words of quotations from Mr Mueller’s report. One of the top-line findings, according to Mr Barr – that neither Mr Trump nor his campaign conspired with Russia – has changed the political landscape in Washington.
It has turned the Russia investigation from a political weakness into an opportunity, allowing Mr Trump to portray the Democrats and the “liberal media” as pushers of an incorrect narrative. Mr Mueller’s decision not to exonerate Mr Trump over obstruction of justice, instead choosing not to rule on whether a crime had been committed, has been glossed over by the White House. Mr Barr and his deputy eventually decided themselves that no crime had taken place. Speaking at his first political event since the Mueller findings emerged, Mr Trump told his supporters at the rally: “This has been an incredible couple of weeks for America. The economy is roaring, the Isis caliphate is defeated 100 per cent, and after three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is finally dead.”
He described the Russia investigation as a “sinister effort to undermine our historic election victory and to sabotage the will of the people”.
“The Russia hoax proves more than ever that we need to finish exactly what we came here to do: drain the swamp,” the president said.
“The Democrats have to now decide whether they will continue defrauding the public with ridiculous bulls---, partisan investigations or whether they will apologise to the American people and join us,” he added, before listing his policy priorities. Michigan was one of three so-called Rust Belt states that Mr Trump managed to flip from Democrat to Republican in 2016, the others being Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, yesterday Mr Trump said he could close the border with Mexico to trade if Mexico did not stop migrant caravans from reaching the US and warned that he would keep the border closed for a long time. “I’m not playing games.
Mexico has to stop it.”
‘A sinister effort to undermine our historic election victory and sabotage the will of the people’