Defiant Trump hits accusers, but breaks with defenders
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US President Donald Trump lashed out at his accusers in the Senate impeachment trial yesterday but broke with some of his defenders as he reiterated his preference for witnesses to be called in the proceedings.
Leaving the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, Trump called a surprise news conference to mark a “tremendous two days” at the glitzy summit of world leaders and financiers in Davos which has served as a respite from the trial underway in Washington.
“It’s such a hoax,” Trump said of the impeachment case against him. “I think it’s so bad for our country.”
Trump gave his legal team high marks after more than 12 hours of arguments on procedural motions on Tuesday in which Republicans blocked Democratic efforts to immediately call witnesses and subpoena documents. But Trump said he wanted to see his aides, including former national security adviser John Bolton and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, testify in the Senate.
“Personally, I’d rather go the long route,” he said, referring to calling witnesses in the Senate trial, before saying that there were “national security” concerns to allowing their testimony. His administration is claiming “absolute immunity” for those aides, citing executive privilege.
“I’ll leave that to the Senate,” Trump said on the question of witnesses. “The Senate is going to have to answer that.”
A resolution passed early yesterday along party lines allows the Senate to consider calling witnesses only after both sides in the impeachment trial present their cases.
“I thought our team did a very good job,” Trump said, saying he watched some of the proceedings. He praised White House Counsel Pat Cipollone’s ”emotion” on the Senate floor, adding, “I was very proud of the job he did.”
Trump said he wants to deliver the State of the Union address as scheduled even if his impeachment trial is ongoing. He said the February address is “very important to what I am doing” in setting his administration’s agenda.
Trump repeated his attacks on Democratic House managers serving as prosecutors in the trial, saying that he’d like to “sit right in the front row and stare at their corrupt faces” on the Senate floor during the trial but that his attorneys might have a problem with it.
Democrats say Trump abused his power in his dealings with Ukraine and obstructed Congress in its investigation. Trump denies any wrongdoing.
Trump gave a triumphant talk on the American economy and said he is pushing for “very dramatic” changes to the World Trade Organization, calling its director general, Roberto Azevedo, to the podium.
Azevedo acknowledged “the system has not been functioning properly in many areas.”
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