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Remarks in an Exchange With Reporters Prior to Departure for Palm Beach, Florida

March 22, 2019

Investigation Into Russia's Interference in 2016 Presidential Election/The President's Schedule

Q. Mr. President, do you expect the Mueller report to be submitted today?

The President. I have no idea about the Mueller report.

I'm going to Florida. We have meetings with the five Caribbean leaders. That will be at Mar-a-Lago. We have a lot of other meetings set up for this weekend on trade. We have a lot of talks with China. And a lot of things are happening. We'll be doing it from Florida. And a lot of very important things are happening.

Democratic Party/Israel

Q. You said the Democrats are anti-Israel——

The President. Yes.

Q. ——and you said the Democrats are anti-Israel and that they are anti-Jewish. They're all skipping the AIPAC conference next week, but you're not going as well.

The President. The Democrats have very much proven to be anti-Israel. There's no question about that. And it's a disgrace. I mean——

Q. Why——

The President. ——I don't know what's happened to them. But they are totally anti-Israel. Frankly, I think they're anti-Jewish.

Q. Mr. President—[inaudible]—the line. Mr. President——

Border Security

Q. [Inaudible]—reports that there were 100,000 illegal—[inaudible]—border—[inaudible].

The President. Yes, we're being very, very strong on the border. The number is enormous of people that we've captured, people that we've apprehended, but—so we're going to take care of it. We have been very, very tough at the border.

Congressional Oversight of Executive Branch

Q. [Inaudible]—congressional investigations, Mr. President, are you telling your staff not to comply?

The President. It's just a continuation of the same witch hunt. They know it. And behind closed doors, they laugh at it. It's just a continuation of the same nonsense. Everybody knows.

They ought to go to work, get infrastructure done, and get a lot of other things done instead of wasting everybody's time.

White House Senior Adviser Jared C. Kushner Q. Mr. President, what's your reaction to the reports that——

The President. I can't hear you.

Q. What's your reaction to the reports that Jared Kushner used an encrypted app to communicate with foreign officials?

The President. I know nothing about it. I've never heard that. I've never heard about it.

Investigation Into Russia's Interference in 2016 Presidential Election

Q. Mr. President, if Robert Mueller is presiding over a hoax, do you think Robert Mueller is personally dishonest in this whole thing?

The President. Well, we're going to see what happens. It's going to be very interesting. But we'll see what happens. There was no collusion. There was no obstruction. Everybody knows it. It's all a big hoax. It's—I call it the witch hunt. It's all a big hoax.

So we'll see what happens. I know that the Attorney General, highly respected, ultimately will make a decision.

Investigation Into Russia's Interference in 2016 Presidential Election

Q. Mr. President, is there—[inaudible]—process—[inaudible].

The President. There won't be. And if there is, it will only play to our advantage.

NOTE: The President spoke at 9:45 a.m. on the South Lawn at the White House prior to boarding Marine One. In his remarks, he referred to Department of Justice Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III; Prime Minister Hubert A. Minnis of the Bahamas; President Danilo Medina Sanchez of the Dominican Republic; President Jovenel Moise of Haiti; Prime Minister Andrew Holness of Jamaica; and Prime Minister Allen M. Chastanet of Saint Lucia.

Donald J. Trump, Remarks in an Exchange With Reporters Prior to Departure for Palm Beach, Florida Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/332853

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