President Donald Trump course corrected on Tuesday after sending a string of tweets about the special counsel’s probe into Russia election meddling, saying in a message that he needs to recommit himself to issues.
The president tweeted several times about what he the dubbed the ‘Rigged Russia Witch Hunt’ and his former political opponent Hillary Clinton before saying in an update that he was shifting his attention to the on-again, off-again summit with Kim Jong-un and other matters.
‘Sorry, I’ve got to start focusing my energy on North Korea Nuclear, bad Trade Deals, VA Choice, the Economy, rebuilding the Military, and so much more,’ he tweeted, ‘and not on the Rigged Russia Witch Hunt that should be investigating Clinton/Russia/FBI/Justice/Obama/Comey/Lynch etc.’
President Donald Trump course corrected on Tuesday after sending a string of tweets about the special counsel’s probe into Russia election meddling, saying in a message that he needs to recommit himself to issues. He’s seen here heading to the golf course on Sunday with Sen. Lindsey Graham
Trump’s tweet indicated that he was following the advice of his outside counsel, Rudy Giuliani, who over the weekend said on major news programs that he’s flustered he even has to bother the president about the special counsel probe while he’s preparing for a nuclear summit.
The president cancelled the talks that were scheduled for June 12 in Singapore via a letter to Kim on Thursday only to say the next day that they could still happen.
North Korean officials ‘stood up’ a U.S. advance team in Singapore and ‘ghosted’ altogether amid other preparations. Kim’s government’s derision of Vice President Mike Pence as a ‘political dummy’ prompted Trump to call the whole thing off.
But negotiations were back on Friday following a commitment from North Korea to have talks at ‘any time’ in any format.
U.S. officials were set on Tuesday to meet with their counterparts about the possibility of a face-to-face between Trump and Kim — the first meeting of any kind between an American president and North Korean leader.
‘We have put a great team together for our talks with North Korea. Meetings are currently taking place concerning Summit, and more. Kim Young Chol, the Vice Chairman of North Korea, heading now to New York. Solid response to my letter, thank you!’ Trump said in a Tuesday morning tweet.
From there he began harping about the special counsel probe operated by Robert Mueller, however, that is also looking into allegations of collusion between associates of his presidential campaign and Russia and charges that Trump obstructed justice when he fired James Comey from the FBI.
‘This investigation involved far more surveillance than we ever had any idea about. It wasn’t just a wiretap against a campaign aide…it was secretly gathering information on the Trump Campaign…people call that Spying…this is unprecedented and scandalous,’ Trump said, quoting the Federalist’s Mollie Hemingway.
Roughly 10 minutes later he levied a familiar attack on the prosecutors working for the special counsel that are known to be registered or donated to Democrats.
‘The 13 Angry Democrats (plus people who worked 8 years for Obama) working on the rigged Russia Witch Hunt, will be MEDDLING with the mid-term elections, especially now that Republicans (stay tough!) are taking the lead in Polls. There was no Collusion, except by the Democrats!’ he tweeted.
A follow up message said: ‘Why aren’t the 13 Angry and heavily conflicted Democrats investigating the totally Crooked Campaign of totally Crooked Hillary Clinton. It’s a Rigged Witch Hunt, that’s why! Ask them if they enjoyed her after election celebration!’
Another 20 minutes after that tweet, the president said I have ‘to start focusing my energy’ and went silent.
As she walked down the White House drive after a television appearance and into the West Wing, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway told a reporter asking about the tweet, ‘You know he sleeps less and does more than average people.’
‘The president not only talks about issues, he makes them happen,’ she said, bringing up a bill boosting veterans and banking reform legislation that Trump signed last week.
Asked if Trump’s tweet was an admission that he hadn’t been totally ‘focused’ on the issues he listed, including nuclear talks the VA Choice legislation, Conway said, ‘No, of course he’s focused on them. How else would they be signed into law.’
Trump had also brought up North Korea and trade deals his administration is renegotiating like NAFTA.
‘I think the point that the president is making also is that there’s such outsized coverage of things that don’t matter to Americans that we’ve been talking about for a year and a half,’ Conway said the second time she was asked, ‘that are still dealing with the 2016 elections.’