“You can talk all you want about Russia, which was all, you know, fake news, fabricated deal, to try and make up for the loss of the Democrats and the press plays right into it,” President Donald Trump told the nation and the media on Thursday.
“I can tell you, speaking for myself,” Trump continued. “I own nothing in Russia. I have no loans in Russia. I don’t have any deals in Russia.”
Fake news or not, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) has joined a bipartisan group of Senators proposing to allow Congress 120 days to review sanctions before Trump can lift them.
Trump sees this move as part of a concerted media effort, based on false information, to tie his hands.
“Well, I guess one of the reasons I’m here today is to tell you the whole Russian thing, that’s a ruse. That’s a ruse. And by the way, it would be great if we could get along with Russia, just so you understand that,” he told the press.”Hillary Clinton did a reset, remember? With the stupid plastic button that made us all look like a bunch of jerks,” Trump continued. “Now if I do that, oh, I’m a bad guy. If we could get along with Russia, that’s a positive thing.”
Said McCaskill, who faces re-election in 2018, “It is very concerning that every time Russia comes up with President Trump he is defensive of them.”