The New York Times reports:
President Trump lashed out at the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, on Wednesday, dredging up false accusations about the conduct of investigators after House Democrats announced that Mr. Mueller would testify publicly next month.
The president offered no evidence as he repeated earlier accusations that Mr. Mueller destroyed text messages between two former F.B.I. officials, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, who worked on the Russia investigation. “They’re gone and that is illegal,” Mr. Trump said of the texts in an interview with Fox Business Network. “That’s a crime.”
Esquire reports:
Note how our friendly Fox Business host tried to pretend the emperor has clothes here. “Oh yes,” Bartiromo stuttered as Trump ranted about how the Deep State was “spying” on his campaign and “it’s a horrible thing that happened.” (Never mind that the FBI obtained a FISA warrant, issued by a judge through a legal process, to surveil Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page, or that Trump invited foreign spies to meddle in our next election just this month.)
He then gave away the game by saying the scandal he’s attempting to gin up “was a reversal of sorts” from the Russia probe—that is, it’s his and his allies’ attempt to counterattack. Clearly, the looming Mueller testimony is weighing heavy. Then he said Lindsey Graham is “beside himself,” which adds up. Then Bartiromo reminded him that Fox has always been on his side, and she was “very vocal about it.” Journalism!
Trump is yelling into the phone about how Mueller “terminated the emails … he terminated them. They’re gone. And that’s illegal. That’s a crime.”
Bartiromo pretends to know what he’s talking about and tries to ask a question. Trump just keeps ranting over her. pic.twitter.com/yBK676eGmn
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 26, 2019
Trump’s Fox Business interview with Maria Bartiromo was especially unhinged, even by his standards https://t.co/qggrcc3rtq
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 26, 2019