Speaking on the south lawn of the White House, Donald Trump took several steps away from earlier claims that he wanted to “let it all come out” when referring to the Mueller report—and several giant steps down the road to authoritarian autocracy.
Trump: What they did was treason. What they did was terrible. What they did was against our Constitution and everything we stand for.
Starting with a question about his claims that the Mueller report provided “total exoneration” while the actual report does not make that claim, Trump launched into an immediate and blistering attack, saying that "It was an illegal investigation. It was started illegally. Everything about it was crooked."
Trump: This was an attempted coup. This was an attempted take-down of a president and we beat them. We beat them. So the Mueller report, when they talk about obstruction, we fight back. And you know why we fight back? Because I knew how illegal this whole thing was, it was a scam.
In referring to the leadership of the FBI and DOJ, Trump proclaimed that they were “dirty cops” and “bad people.” Trump rattled through a list that included former FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, along with agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page. Trump then again stated that “every single thing about” the investigation was “crooked.”
Trump then said that what he was most interested in wasn’t the report, but the new panel that William Barr was creating to investigate Comey, McCabe, and others. Trump not only repeated his claims that the investigation was a “witch hunt,” but also claimed that “everyone knew” it was illegal from the outset.
Barr talked about the new investigation he has opened in testimony before the Senate on Wednesday. Where he said he was investigating “spying on a political campaign.” Asked again about this statement, Barr repeated it, saying “I think spying did occur.”