Trump on Impeachment Hearing: “I Haven’t Watched For One Minute,” “A Sham And Shouldn’t Be Allowed”

President Trump called Wednesday’s House Intelligence Committee impeachment inquiry hearing a “sham” that is “being played as a hoax” in a joint press conference with Turkish President Recep Erdogan.

“You’re talking about the witch hunt?… I hear it’s a joke,” Trump said when asked for reaction.

“I haven’t watched. I haven’t watched for one minute … this is a sham and shouldn’t be allowed,” he adds

“I hear that it’s a hoax and it’s being played as a hoax. That’s what I hear. But you’ll have to tell me,” Trump said to the reporter.

OAN REPORTER: First, I would like to just start out getting your general reaction today to the impeachment hearings on the Hill. Do you feel that Democrats made their case? And how did you feel about the Republican performance?

TRUMP: You’re talking about the witch hunt? Is that what you mean? Is that what you’re talking about? I hear it’s a joke. I haven’t watched. I haven’t watched for one minute because I’ve been with the president, which is much more important as far as I’m concerned.

This is a sham and shouldn’t be allowed. It was a situation that was caused by people that shouldn’t have allowed it to happen. I want to find out who is the whistleblower because the whistleblower gave a lot of very incorrect information, including my call with the president of Ukraine, which was a perfect call and highly appropriate. And he wrote something that was much different than the fact. I want to find out why–the IG, why would he have presented that when in fact only had to do is check the call itself and he would’ve seen it.

I’m going to be releasing, I think on Thursday, a second call, which actually was the first of the two. And you’ll make a determination as to what you think there. But I’ve heard, just report, they said it’s all third-hand information, nothing direct at all. It can’t be direct because I never said it. And all they have to do is look very, very simply at the transcript.

If you read the transcript–this was analyzed by great lawyers. This was analyzed by Greg Jarrett (PH). It was analyzed by Mark Levin. It was analyzed by everybody. They said this statement that I made and the whole call that I made with the president of Ukraine was a perfect one.

So, that this country gets put through that, that we have to waste this gentlemen’s time by even thinking about it, talking about it, I’d much rather focus on peace in the Middle East. And I hear that it’s a–I hear that it’s a hoax and it’s being played as a hoax. That’s what I hear. But you’ll have to tell me. Go ahead.