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Republican Romney says he is 'sickened' by Trump's behavior during Russia probe

Published 04/19/2019, 06:29 PM
Updated 04/19/2019, 06:29 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) walks to his office on the opening day of the 116th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) walks to his office on the opening day of the 116th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington

By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said on Friday he was "sickened" by the dishonesty of U.S. President Donald Trump and people around him as portrayed in a report on Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 election.

Romney, now a U.S. senator from Utah and an off-and-on Trump critic, was responding to the report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who described how Trump sought to disrupt the probe into ties between his presidential campaign and Russia.

Mueller did not establish that Trump's campaign team colluded with Moscow and he did not charge the president with obstructing justice, but the report provided extensive details of Trump's efforts to thwart the probe.

Romney said it was "good news" that there had been insufficient evidence to charge Trump with conspiring with a foreign adversary or obstructing justice, which he said could have triggered a constitutional crisis.

"Even so, I am sickened at the extent and pervasiveness of dishonesty and misdirection by individuals in the highest office of the land, including the President," Romney said in a statement posted on Twitter.

"I am also appalled that, among other things, fellow citizens working in a campaign for president welcomed help from Russia - including information that had been illegally obtained; that none of them acted to inform American law enforcement; and that the campaign chairman was actively promoting Russian interests in Ukraine," he added.

Romney was sharply critical of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign before being considered briefly as a candidate for secretary of state in Trump's administration.

His sharp statement on Friday breaks with the position of other Republicans and the White House, which has declared the report a victory for the president.

Trump has repeatedly dubbed the investigation a "witch hunt" and insisted he did not engage in collusion or obstruction.

Trump remains popular with most Republicans but a potential challenge from someone such as Romney in the Republican primary process next year could complicate Trump's bid to win a second term in 2020.

Romney lost the 2012 presidential election to Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

Congressional Democrats on Friday took legal action to get hold of all of Mueller's evidence from his inquiry.

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) walks to his office on the opening day of the 116th Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington

Latest comments

Mitt's sickened by this? Tell him to go sit and cry in a collective cringe congregation with other snowflakes.
Has this site ever had a positive thing to say about Trump?. . It’s almost like they have an agenda...
The only positive would be a lie, Stump supporters always fall for his lies which are continous, no critical thinking capabilities. It took a bit to get Al Capone into to prison. Stump and Al are cut from the same cloth all that is required is patience.
It's not "this site" saying positive or negative things. This site is not writing these articles. They simply provide a platform for us to read the news. In addition, have you considered the possibility that Trump doesn't really do or say many positive things? He's always lying, bragging, calling people names, and generally being divisive. It's a lot easier to find negative things to write about him than positive ones. I'd say that's more on Trump, himself, than the reporters. They simply report on what he actually says and does.
makes you think that Hillary was predetermined to become president the way they keep trying to dig up this topic. no proof. carry on.
agreed.... the deep state is very real..... i hear oh thats conspiracy garbage but if that was true why would a former mi6 agent refer to the deep state briefly in a news conference.. I have never seen this country so divided and Godless. Even if trump got help from russia, its results unmasked hillary/
if you are still talking about hillary three years after the elections something is wrong with you and you are watching far too much fox news
Mitt, wait till 2024!
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