ABC News(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump has sought to dismiss as a “hoax” the various federal investigations into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 presidential election and possible ties to Trump associates.
Here are 11 times that he said this.
March 28, 2017
“Why isn’t the House Intelligence Committee looking into the Bill & Hillary deal that allowed big Uranium to go to Russia, Russian speech money to Bill, the Hillary Russian “reset,” praise of Russia by Hillary, or Podesta Russian Company. Trump Russia story is a hoax. #MAGA!” he wrote in two tweets.
April 5, 2017
“The Russia story is a total hoax,” Trump said in an interview with The New York Times. “There has been absolutely nothing coming out of that.”
May 8, 2017
“The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?” Trump wrote on Twitter.
July 15, 2017
“Stock Market hit another all-time high yesterday – despite the Russian hoax story! Also, jobs numbers are starting to look very good!” Trump tweeted.
July 25, 2017
In a bombshell interview with The Wall Street Journal, during which Trump said he was “disappointed” with Attorney General Jeff Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, Trump repeated his assertion that the probe is a “hoax.”
The Wall Street Journal released only excerpts of the interview transcript, but Politico released the full transcript.
“That’s a total witch hunt, the whole Russia story,” the president said in the interview. “It’s a hoax. It’s a hoax. We had no collusion with Russia. We never dealt with Russia.”
Aug. 3, 2017
The topic came up while Trump was at a rally in Huntington, West Virginia.
“They can continue their obsession with the Russian hoax, or they can serve the interests of the American people,” he said.
Aug. 7. 2017
Trump took issue with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., talking about the Russian investigation, and turned to Twitter to show his displeasure.
“Interesting to watch Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut talking about hoax Russian collusion when he was a phony Vietnam con artist!” he wrote on Twitter.
Sept. 22, 2017
While campaigning for Senate candidate Luther Strange in Huntsville, Alabama, Trump called the notion of Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 election working to his benefit a hoax as the president
“Honestly? It’s the thing they did best,” Trump said, referring to Democrats. “They did a rotten job of running. But to convince people about this hoax, that was probably the thing that they did best, but it is one great hoax. No, Russia did not help me, that I can tell you, OK.”
“And by the way, folks, just in case you’re, like, curious, no, Russia did not help me. OK? Russia. I call it the Russian hoax, one of the great hoaxes,” he said in the speech.
He also tweeted about it that same day, writing, “The Russia hoax continues, now it’s ads on Facebook. What about the totally biased and dishonest Media coverage in favor of Crooked Hillary?”
Oct. 19, 2017
In an appearance in the Oval Office alongside Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello, Trump brought up the “hoax” again, suggesting the real “Russia story” was the sale of uranium to Moscow while Democrat Hillary Clinton was secretary of state.
“Uranium is a big subject. If the mainstream media would cover the uranium scandal and that Russia has 20 percent of uranium for whatever reason — and a lot of people understand what those reasons may be — I think that’s your Russia story. That’s your real Russia story. Not a story where they talk about collusion, and there was none. It was a hoax,” he said.
Oct. 25, 2017
Trump returned to this idea again as he fielded questions from journalists outside the White House.
“They made up the whole Russia hoax,” he said. “Now it’s turning out that the hoax has turned around. And you look at what’s happened with Russia, and you look at the uranium deal, and you look at the fake dossier.”
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