President Trump spoke with reporters Friday morning while on his way to the National Rifle Association Leadership Forum in Dallas, Texas and insisted, once again, he would love to interview with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
But in the course of his remarks, the president lied about all investigators being Democrats (They're Republicans) and about Mueller working for President Obama for eight years (He didn't). He also harkened back to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's letter issued just before the president fired FBI Director James Comey, claiming viewers don't know about it (We do) and saying it "very much speaks very loudly."
Read the full transcript (New York Times)
Some additional quotes:
"I would love to speak. I would love to. Nobody wants to speak more than me."
"I would love to speak, because we’ve done nothing wrong. There was no collusion with the Russians. There was nothing. There was no obstruction."
"If somebody says something wrong, and you fight back, they say that’s obstruction of justice. It’s nonsense."
"So I would love to speak. I would love to go. Nothing I want to do more, because we did nothing wrong."
"I would love to go. I would love to speak. But I have to find that we’re going to be fairly."
"It is a very unfair thing. If I thought it was fair, I would override my lawyer."
Watch:
From the Transcript of Trump’s Remarks on Giuliani and Stormy Daniels, and Korea (NYT):
REPORTER: Mr. President, have you changed your mind at all about being willing to sit with Robert Mueller?
TRUMP: Well, the problem with sitting is this: You have a group of investigators, and they say that I am not a target. And I’m not a target. But you have a group of investigators that are all Democrats. In some cases, they went to the Hillary Clinton celebration that turned out to be a funeral. So you have all these investigators; they’re Democrats. In all fairness, Bob Mueller worked for Obama for eight years.
If you look at the statements that were made, if you take a look, as an example, at the Rod Rosenstein letter to me, prior to the firing of James Comey, just read it; put it in the air. Your viewers don’t know about it. Put that letter on the air. It very much speaks very loudly, and that’s just one thing.
So I would say this: If I could be — I would love to speak. I would love to. Nobody wants to speak more than me — in fact, against my lawyers, because most lawyers, they never speak on anything. I would love to speak, because we’ve done nothing wrong. There was no collusion with the Russians. There was nothing. There was no obstruction.
You know, very funny — if you fight back, because you people say something wrong, or they say something wrong, or they leak, which they’ve been doing; if you fight back, they say, oh, that’s obstruction of justice. If somebody says something wrong, and you fight back, they say that’s obstruction of justice. It’s nonsense.
So let me just —
REPORTER: Are you —
TRUMP: Wait, wait. Let me just tell you. So I would love to speak. I would love to go. Nothing I want to do more, because we did nothing wrong. We ran a great campaign. We won easily. We won that easily: 306 to — I think, it was 223. We won it easily. That was a great victory. That was a great day for this country.
We just had new jobs numbers out. You saw we broke 4 — 3.9 percent. I would love to go. I would love to speak. But I have to find that we’re going to be fairly.
REPORTER: Are you sure —
TRUMP: Wait, wait. I have to find that we’re going to be treated fairly, because everybody sees it now, and it is a pure witch hunt. Right now, it’s a pure witch hunt. Why don’t we have Republicans looking also? Why aren’t we having Republican people doing what all these Democrats are doing? It is a very unfair thing. If I thought it was fair, I would override my lawyer.