President Donald Trump denied that he was trying to intimidate former United States Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch after he explained Friday on Twitter why he fired her.
When asked by reporters about Democrat and media claims that the president was “intimidating” the witness on Twitter as she testified during the impeachment hearings, Trump denied it.
“I don’t think so at all,” he said.
Trump said he watched part of the impeachment hearing on Friday, but dismissed it as a sham.
“I think it’s considered a joke all over Washington and all over the world,” he said. “It’s a disgrace what’s happening but you know what, the American people understand it.”
Trump said that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff was “tampering” the impeachment hearings by not allowing the White House to have representation, and criticized him for not allowing Republicans to ask questions.
“I’ll tell you what tampering is, tampering is when a guy like Shifty Schiff doesn’t let us have lawyers,” Trump said, referring to the White House. “Tampering is when Schiff doesn’t let us have witnesses, doesn’t let us speak … and it’s really sad when you see people not allowed to ask questions, nobody’s ever had such horrible due process.”
He defended his right to talk about the witness on Twitter as Yovanovitch was testifying.
“I have the right to speak, I have freedom of speech, just as other people do, but they’ve taken away the republican’s rights,” Trump said.
Trump said he watched as Republicans were repeatedly interrupted by Schiff and blocked from asking questions or calling witnesses.
“I just want to have freedom of speech,” he said.
Trump argued that the impeachment proceedings were a “political process, not a legal process” and criticized the media for their bias in favor of Democrats.
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