White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday she looks forward to ridding the press corps of its “Russia fever” once special counsel Robert Mueller wraps up his investigation into President Trump and his campaign associates.
Asked whether the president has pressured Mueller and his team to expedite their probe, Sanders said Trump has only ever cooperated with the federal investigation and looks forward to its swift conclusion.
“The only thing the president has applied pressure to is to make sure we get this is resolved so that you guys and everyone else can focus on the things that Americans care about,” she told reporters. “And that is making sure everybody gets the Russia fever out of their system once and for all [and] that you’re all reminded once again there was no collusion.”
Sanders said Trump, who is likely to speak with Mueller in the coming weeks, has gone “above and beyond” what is necessary to ensure the Justice Department has had everything needed to appropriately conduct its probe.
“The White House has provided over 20 witnesses and tens of thousands of pages of documents to the special counsel,” she said.
Sanders’ criticism of reporters comes as the House Intelligence Committee is expected to vote on the release of a memo that allegedly suggests deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein approved extended surveillance of former Trump campaign aide Carter Page, a detail that some say could prompt Trump to fire Rosenstein and jeopardize the special counsel investigation.
