Trump says the expanded House Russia investigation is 'presidential harassment,' calls the Democrat in charge a 'political hack'
- President Donald Trump hit back at the expansive new congressional investigation into his finances and alleged ties to Russia on Wednesday.
- Responding to the announcement of the investigation, Trump called House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff a "political hack."
- This came after Trump decried "partisan investigations" in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night
President Donald Trump on Wednesday accused House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff of "presidential harassment" over the announcement of a new, expansive investigation into Russian election interference and the president's finances.
In comments to reporters, Trump referred to the Democratic congressman as a "political hack."
"He has no basis to do that. He's just a political hack who's trying to build a name for himself," Trump said. "It's just presidential harassment and it's unfortunate and it really does hurt our country."
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In what appeared to be a response to Trump's remarks, Schiff tweeted: "I can understand why the idea of meaningful oversight terrifies the President. Several of his close associates are going to jail, others await trial, and criminal investigations continue.
Schiff added that the committee will "do our job and won't be distracted or intimidated by threats or attacks."
This came after Trump decried "partisan investigations" in his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, which many Democrats - including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - interpreted as a threat.
In a statement announcing the sweeping new investigation on Wednesday, Schiff said, "The President's actions and posture towards Russia during the campaign, transition, and administration have only heightened fears of foreign financial or other leverage over President Trump and underscore the need to determine whether he or those in his Administration have acted in service of foreign interests since taking office."
The House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday also voted to send transcripts of witness interviews from its Russian investigation to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the Justice Department's investigation into Russian election interference. The transcripts could help Mueller determine if there were any instances of perjury.