In an increasingly acidic political atmosphere, President Donald Trump on Wednesday repeatedly lashed out at Democrats in Congress for pursuing an impeachment investigation, again saying his conversation with the leader of Ukraine was 'perfect,' and not an effort to get compromising information about former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.
"They've been trying to impeach me since I got elected," the President said of Congressional Democrats, even as he made clear to reporters that he thinks the Bidens deserve extra legal scrutiny.
"And let me tell you something," the President said, his voice rising in the Oval Office, "Biden's son is corrupt, and Biden is corrupt."
Some of Mr. Trump's toughest words on Wednesday were reserved for House Intelligence Committee chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).
"He should be forced to resign from Congress," the President said. "And frankly, they should look at him for treason."
“He's a low life,” Mr. Trump added.
President Trump: "He couldn't carry his blank strap."
— CSPAN (@cspan) October 2, 2019
Full video: https://t.co/uXIHVr4ACI pic.twitter.com/6xXNUugV3o
At one point, the President cited Schiff's criticism of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
"That guy (Schiff) couldn't carry his (Pompeo) blank strap, you understand that?" the President added, referring to a jock strap.
Later, at a joint news conference with the leader of Finland, the President was asked several times why he wanted the government of Ukraine to look at the Bidens.
“Biden and his son are stone cold crooked,” Mr. Trump said, as he refused to answer the questions posed by Jeff Mason of Reuters.
May be a first of its kind for any presidential news conference:
— Heidi Przybyla (@HeidiNBC) October 2, 2019
Jeff Mason repeatedly asks Trump to clarify what he wanted Zelensky to do:
"Are you talking to me?" Practically yells at Mason to ask the Finnish leader a question instead; Rips "fake" and "corrupt" U.S. media.
Trump: “Much of the media in this country is not just corrupt it is fake.” He declines to directly answer what he wanted the Ukrainian president to do w. Bidens. He even scolded Reuters Jeff Mason at one point.
— Ted Johnson (@tedstew) October 2, 2019
Mason asks over and over what he wanted Zelensky to do with regard to the Bidens. Trump is pointedly refusing to answer. Eventually, he demands that Mason ask a question to the president of Finland, advising him not to be "rude."
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) October 2, 2019
Mr. Trump also again raised doubts about the story of the whistleblower inside the U.S. Intelligence Community, who raised questions about what the President said to the leader of Ukraine in a late July phone call.
"This country has to find out who that person was, because that person is a spy," Mr. Trump said of the whistleblower, as he denounced the whistleblower report as 'vicious.'
"The whistleblower was so dishonest," the President added, charging the person had badly misrepresented the call between Mr. Trump and the leader of Ukraine.
The President's comments came soon after top Democrats made clear they were pushing ahead swiftly on their impeachment investigation.
"We are concerned that the White House will continue to stonewall," Schiff said, as Democrats charge the White House has done everything possible to avoid having testimony from anyone in the Trump Administration.
Schiff on the concern that the White House will "stonewall" impeachment inquiry: "We'll have to decide whether to litigate or how to litigate. We are not fooling around here though, we don't want this to drag on months and months and months" https://t.co/8VmMZIdOrB pic.twitter.com/vA3ARQzP73
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) October 2, 2019
“He is stooping to a level that is beneath the dignity of the Constitution,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said of the President.
Cox Media Group