Transcripts have been released allegedly outlining President Donald Trump’s phone calls to Mexico’s president and the Australian prime minister – namely talking about the idea of building the Mexican border wall.
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork) — Transcripts have been released allegedly outlining President Donald Trump’s phone calls to Mexico’s president and the Australian prime minister – namely talking about the idea of building the Mexican border wall.
As CBS2’s Alice Gainer reported Thursday, the Washington Post published what it called exclusive transcripts of President Trump’s January phone calls with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. In his Jan. 27 phone call to Peña Nieto, Trump allegedly said: “I have to have Mexico pay for the wall – I have to. I have been talking about it for a two-year period.”
Peña Nieto has repeatedly refused to foot the bill. Trump told him he can no longer say as much to the press.
“If you are going to say that Mexico is not going to pay for the wall, then I do not want to meet with you guys anymore because I cannot live with that, ” Trump was quoted in the transcript.
Some lawmakers were irate over the leaked transcripts.
“These people should be fired!” said U. S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) . “They should be out of government! They are disloyal.”
In that same call, Trump also allegedly boasted about his election victory and called New Hampshire “a drug-infested den.” U. S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-New Hampshire) was not pleased.
“The words were disgusting and outrageous, and that the president should stop insulting people and actually start focusing on how we can beat this epidemic, ” Hassan said.
Trump did not respond to a reporter’s question about it Thursday.
Also Thursday, Trump announced new efforts to use technology to improve veterans’ health care.
“We have launched a groundbreaking new website that allows veterans to compare wait times and quality of care at VA facilities and other hospitals, so we’ re actually able to compete our facilities with other hospitals and other VA facilities, so we’ ll really strike a little competitive advantage and I think get people moving even better, ” Trump said.
Meantime, CBS News has learned reported Thursday that Special Counsel Robert Mueller has put a grand jury to use in Washington, D. C. to investigate Russia’s interference with the 2016 election.
An attorney for Trump is responding to the report and said he has no reason to believe the president is under investigation.
