Trump Defends Asking Foreign Power for Investigation: ‘NOTHING to Do With … Political Campaign Against the Bidens’

President Donald Trump pushed back on a raft of criticism he’s received since calling on both Ukraine and China to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter during a Thursday press spray on the White House lawn.

During a press spray on the White House lawn Thursday, Trump told the assembled press that “China should start an investigation into the Bidens,” adding“Because what happened in China is just about as bad as what happened with Ukraine.”

The alleged asking of a foreign power to help Trump’s political campaign has been at the center of the recent impeachment inquiry announced by Speaker Nancy Pelosi after a whistleblower complaint led to the release of an edited transcript of a phone call between Trump and the Ukrainian president revealed that the commander in chief asked Ukraine to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden,

Biden has long been atop the polls of Democratic candidates looking to replace Trump in the White House and is by any objective measure, Trump’s political rival. But according to the president, an investigation into Biden has “NOTHING to do with politics or a political campaign against the Bidens.” Instead, he defended his actions as simply fulfilling his “obligation to end CORRUPTION.”

As President I have an obligation to end CORRUPTION, even if that means requesting the help of a foreign country or countries. It is done all the time. This has NOTHING to do with politics or a political campaign against the Bidens. This does have to do with their corruption!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 4, 2019

There is an old psychological observation often attributed to Sigmund Freud that notes when an individual opens a comment with “I’m not saying” something, what they are really saying is something. “I’m not saying you’ve gained a lot of weight, but those pants look very tight on you,” for example, is just a different way of communicating “you’ve gained a lot of weight.”

On can easily apply that axiom here. Trump’s claim that his asking of foreign powers to investigate his political rival as having “NOTHING to do with politics or a political campaign against the Bidens”? Well, you be the judge.

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