In an interview with Fox News which was broadcast on Thursday, President Donald Trump took aim at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former special counsel Robert Mueller, The Hill reports.
According to Trump, Mueller “made such a fool of himself” during his much-discussed impromptu press conference. During the briefing, the special counsel discussed his investigation into Russian election interference, explaining that his office had decided to not prosecute the president based on longstanding Justice Department guidelines — guidelines which state that no sitting president can be indicted.
Apart from discussing potential obstruction of justice committed by Trump, Mueller implicitly called for impeachment in the eyes of many. These statements have apparently irritated the president, who is now calling Mueller a “fool.” As The Hill notes, on Thursday Trump suggested to Fox News’ Laura Ingraham that Mueller’s statements had been misleading.
“Because what people don’t report is the letter he had to do to straighten out his testimony because his testimony was wrong,” the president explained, referring to a joint statement by the Justice Department and the special counsel’s office. The statement confirms that Mueller had not taken issue with Attorney General William Barr’s previous comments.
While Mueller may have had no issues with Barr’s interpretation of his report, his press conference put even more pressure on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who continues to resist impeachment calls from fellow Democrats. Unlike many of her colleagues, the top Democrat has remained adamantly opposed to the idea.
According to Trump, Pelosi is a “disaster.”
The president blasted the House speaker, dubbing her “Nervous Nancy,” and accusing her of ignoring the joint statement issued by the special counsel’s office and the Justice Department.
“Nancy Pelosi, I call her ‘Nervous Nancy,’ Nancy Pelosi doesn’t talk about it,” the president said, referring to the statement.
“Nancy Pelosi is a disaster, OK? She’s a disaster. Let her do what she wants, you know what? I think they’re in big trouble.”
Pelosi has been facing widespread criticism for arguing against impeachment, as many of her colleagues call for it. However, she is not the only top Democrat to stand opposed to the maneuver. As previously reported by The Inquisitr , House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff is also against impeachment proceedings, at this time.
Trump blasts “fool” Mueller and “Nervous Nancy” Pelosi in Ingraham interview https://t.co/EH2EnMyRh1 pic.twitter.com/iRFiUn4zB0
— The Hill (@thehill) June 6, 2019
In a recent interview, Schiff said that he is “just not convinced” that impeaching Trump would be “the right thing for the country.” Echoing Pelosi, the California Democrat suggested that Congress should focus on legislating, and not on President Trump.
More than 50 Democratic lawmakers have called for the president’s impeachment, so it remains to be seen whether Pelosi and others will withstand the mounting pressure within their own party.