President Donald Trump attacked Democrats Thursday for losing the election and subsequently trying to “cheat” voters “out of the leadership you want” after news broke that special counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury in his Russia probe.
Trump, speaking to thousands of supporters at a rally in West Virginia, argued that instead of looking at him and his campaign, prosecutors “should be looking at Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 deleted emails.” This prompted “lock her up” chants that were a prominent feature on the 2016 campaign trail.
The president said the “Russia story” is a “fabrication,” and “most people know there were no Russians in our campaign.”
“We didn’t win because of Russia we won because of you,” Trump added. He then jokingly inquired whether there were any Russians in Ohio, Pennsylvania, or West Virginia — all states he won in the election.
These remarks came after Reuters and The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday there is a grand jury impaneled in Washington that is related to the special counsel’s investigation into Russian election interference. A grand jury is a group of citizens that decide whether criminal charges should be brought against a suspect or suspects.
Trump said, “I just hope the final determination is a truly honest one,” adding that this is what “the millions of people who gave us our victory…want and deserve.”