Media

President Trump Fires Back At ‘Insulting’ Questions Raised By NYT Article

REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
Font Size:

President Donald Trump joined Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro by phone on Saturday, responding to a Friday New York Times report on the FBI’s Russia investigation.

WATCH:

Pirro brought up the topic during a wide-ranging interview, saying, “New York Times reported that the FBI opened a counterintelligence investigation the day after you fired James Comey in may of ’17. And the investigation was whether you were actively working for Russia or unwittingly. So I’m going to ask you, are you now or have you ever worked for Russia, Mr. President?”

Without hesitation, the president fired back, “I think it’s the most insulting thing I’ve ever been asked. I think it’s the most insulting article I’ve ever had written.” (RELATED: Sarah Sanders Responds To New York Times Report)

Trump went on to attack the “failing” New York Times as “a disaster of a newspaper,” adding, “And if you read the article, you’d see that they found absolutely nothing. But the headline of that article — it’s called ‘the failing New York Times’ for a reason — they’ve gotten me wrong for three years. They’ve actually gotten me wrong for many years before that.”

The headline Trump referenced read “F.B.I. Opened Inquiry Into Whether Trump Was Secretly Working On Behalf Of Russia” and suggested that the firing of former FBI Director James Comey had inspired such doubt in others within the agency that they began digging for connections between Trump and Russia.

Then Trump went on to explain why he believed it was ridiculous for anyone to suggest he was working with or for Russian interests.

I can tell you this, if you ask the folks in Russia, I’ve been tougher on Russia than anybody else, any other — probably any other president period, but certainly the last three or four presidents, modern day presidents. Nobody’s been as tough as I have from any standpoint including the fact that we’ve done oil like we’ve never done it, we’re setting records in exporting oil and many other things. Which is, obviously, not great for them, because that’s what they — that’s where they get their money for the most part.

The president concluded by saying that the New York Times may have taken things a step too far with the report.

“I think it was a great insult,” he repeated.

Follow Virginia on Twitter