Trump demands end to ‘phony investigations’

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump walked out of a meeting with congressional Democrats on Wednesday after telling them he would not work with them unless they ceased their investigations into his administration. At a meeting two weeks ago, the president and Democrats agreed to improve the nation’s roads, bridges, and power systems with a bipartisan infrastructure package. They planned to address how to secure the estimated $2 trillion needed for the plan in Wednesday’s meeting.

Trump criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for telling reporters earlier that morning she believed the president had “engaged in a cover-up” of misdeeds related to the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. After leaving the meeting, the president told reporters in the White House Rose Garden that Congress must drop its investigations. “I walked into the room and I told [Senate Minority] Leader Chuck Schumer, [D-N.Y.], and Speaker Pelosi I want to do infrastructure,” he said. “But you know what, we can’t do it under these circumstances. So get these phony investigations over.”

Pelosi fired back later that Trump just “took a pass” on working on the nation’s infrastructure problems.

An increasing number of House Democrats have called for impeachment proceedings against the president, who has vowed to resist congressional subpoenas and requests for information. So far, Pelosi has resisted moving forward on impeachment, calling it something that would be deeply divisive for the country and Congress.