WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump opened another week of impeachment turmoil with slashing attacks on his accusers – including a suggestion that a leading investigator be arrested for "treason."
Claiming that Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, falsely described his phone call with the president of of Ukraine, Trump tweeted Monday: "Arrest for Treason?"
Schiff did not immediately respond, but others called it an outrageous comment.
"Out. Of. Control," tweeted Republican strategist Mike Murphy. "Treason? A POTUS saying this? #UnfitAndUnstable."
Alleged "treason" was part of a series of tweets on Sunday night and Monday morning in which Trump raised the specter of "civil war," said some of his own aides may be "SPYING" on him, and accused the Democrats of trying to "destabilize" the country a year ahead of his 2020 re-election.
"They are lying & cheating like never before in our Country’s history in order to destabilize the United States of America & it’s upcoming 2020 Election," Trump said in one of many harsh missives.
"If the Democrats are successful in removing the President from office (which they will never be), it will cause a Civil War like fracture in this Nation from which our Country will never heal,'" Trump quoted pastor Robert Jeffress as saying.
That tweet drew criticism from Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger.
"I have visited nations ravaged by civil war.@realDonaldTrump," tweeted Kinzinger, a Republican House member from Illinois. "I have never imagined such a quote to be repeated by a President. This is beyond repugnant."
Trump's angry tweets set the stage for another week of political/legal battles, as House Democrats investigate allegations that Trump tried to coerce the president of Ukraine into investigating an American political rival, Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden.
"We had no choice but to move forward with an impeachment inquiry," Schiff tweeted on Sunday. "And our focus will be on the president’s fundamental breach of his oath office."
He added: "Coercing a foreign nation to interfere in our election is never ok, No matter what the president and his defenders say."
More: Pelosi vs. Trump: Combatants in a historic impeachment showdown that will test them, and the nation
Schiff was one of the primary targets of Trump's tweet attacks.
Accusing the Intelligence Committee chairman of misrepresenting his conversation with the president of Ukraine, Trump tweeted at one point that "I want Schiff questioned at the highest level for Fraud & Treason."
Trump also demanded to know the identity of the unnamed whistleblower whose complaint triggered the investigation – as well as the name of any administration official who fed information to the whistleblower about his interactions with foreign leaders.
"Was this person SPYING on the U.S. President?" Trump said. "Big Consequences!"
Trump kept it up Monday morning, tweeting that he is again being subjected to a "witch hunt" and claiming that "the Fake Whistleblower complaint is not holding up."
As the White House prepares a defense of Trump during the impeachment investigation, expect more of the same kinds of attacks from the president himself in the weeks and months ahead.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/09/30/donald-trump-attacks-impeachment-accusers-tweets/3817248002/
2019-09-30 11:50:00Z
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