Trump portrays Mueller testimony as a victory as Pelosi keeps impeachment on hold


Trump says he and country had a ‘very good day,’ calls Mueller testimony ‘horrible’
„There was no defense for this ridiculous hoax,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a GOP campaign fundraiser in West Virginia. „So, this was a very big day for our country, this was a very big day for the Republican Party. And you can say it was a great day for me but I don’t even like to say that,” Trump said.(MORE: 5 key takeaways from Robert Mueller’s testimony before Congress)He said Mueller did a „horrible job” in his testimony and how he handled the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian government and individuals tied to the Kremlin, but offered a backhanded defense of Mueller by arguing he had no material to work with.”Robert Mueller did a horrible job today and with respect to the investigation. But in all fairness the Robert Mueller, he had nothing to work with, you know, you can be a builder, but if they don’t give you the right materials, they’re not going to build a very good building. Robert Mueller had no material,” Trump said.PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks to the media about the testimony of White House Special Counsel Robert Mueller to Congress, July 24, 2019, outside the White House. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)(MORE: Democrats call Mueller testimony ‘historic day’ for Americans in understanding probe)The president was defensive when asked about Mueller, who said on Capitol Hill that he had not exonerated him as Trump had often claimed.”So there is no such a thing. He didn’t have the right to exonerate. And you know it is very interesting, people mention exoneration, that was something where he totally folded. Because he never had the right to exonerate,” Trump said.He called it a „devastating” day for Democrats. „They are devastated, the Democrats lost so big today.””The Democrats had nothing and now they have less than nothing,” he said. „They should be ashamed of themselves.”(MORE: Report doesn’t exonerate Trump, Mueller testifies, and he could be charged after leaving office)
PHOTO: Former special counsel Robert Mueller testifies before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on his report on Russian election interference, in Washington, D.C., July 24, 2019. (Andrew Harnik/AP)House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , in a news conference held after Trump left the White House, called Mueller’s testimony a „historic day” for the American people in understanding the significance of his investigation and whether the president obstructed justice. She added that it crossed „a threshold in terms of public awareness of what happened.”Ahead of Mueller’s testimony on Capitol Hill, Trump launched into a series of attacks on Twitter of the former special counsel, the hearings and the investigation into whether Russia interfered in the 2016 election and whether the president obstructed justice.(MORE: For Democrats and Republicans alike, Robert Mueller proves a frustrating witness: Analysis)In a series of eight tweets, the president accused Democrats of trying to „illegally fabricate a crime” on a „very innocent President” and questioned why Mueller’s investigation did not focus on his political opponent Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, or „the investigators.”