President Donald Trump on Wednesday called the New York Times to insist that he isn’t angry at anybody at all about the charges filed against top members of his campaign as part of the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“I’m actually not angry at anybody,” Trump told the New York Times. “I’m not under investigation, as you know.”
Members of Trump’s administration and legal team are the only people who have insisted in recent months that Trump is not under investigation. The Washington Post reported in June that special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating Trump for potential obstruction of justice. Mueller has brought charges against Trump’s former campaign aides.
“Even if you look at that, there’s not even a mention of Trump in there,” Trump said on the call, referring to the indictment filed against his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort. “It has nothing to do with us.”
Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates on Monday pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts filed against them. The charges include conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy against the U.S. and making false statements.
In his comments to the New York Times, Trump did not appear to mention the case against his former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, who was arrested in July and pleaded guilty earlier in October to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russia.
“I just got fantastic poll numbers,” the President claimed, though his job approval is at an all-time low, according to Gallup. “I’m really enjoying it.”
