NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

'They've gone stone cold CRAZY:' Trump says Democrats investigating him are playing games

By John Wagner
Washington Post·
5 Mar, 2019 09:37 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

US President Donald Trump. Photo / AP

US President Donald Trump. Photo / AP

US President Donald Trump lashed out at House Democratic leaders, saying they have "gone stone cold CRAZY" by opening a far-reaching corruption investigation aimed at him and that the move had undermined opportunities to work together on legislation.

"It's too bad, because I'd rather see them do legislation," Trump told reporters at an afternoon White House event, during which he ticked off a few issues on which he said he and Democrats could work together.

"Instead of doing infrastructure, instead of doing healthcare, instead of doing so many things that they should be doing, they want to play games."

In tweets earlier in the day, Trump said letters sent by the House Oversight Committee to 81 people and organisations associated with him were meant to "harass innocent people." And he said the new investigation was born of Democrats' frustration with not being able to prove coordination between Trump's campaign and Russia in the 2016 presidential campaign.

"Now that they realise the only Collusion with Russia was done by Crooked Hillary Clinton & the Democrats, Nadler, Schiff and the Dem heads of the Committees have gone stone cold CRAZY," Trump wrote, referring to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff of California.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In subsequent tweets, Trump accused Democrats of conducting a "big, fat, fishing expedition" and wrote in all capital letters, "PRESIDENTIAL HARASSMENT!"

The President's angry response came a day after Nadler sent letters demanding all communication in connection with a host of controversies surrounding Trump, as the panel looks into whether the President and his Administration have engaged in obstruction of justice, corruption and abuse of power.

The document request seeks information from Trump's two adult sons, business associates and political confidants, among others. It touches on a wide array of matters, including the President's business dealings with Russia, the firing of James Comey as FBI Director and hush payments made to women who say they had affairs with Trump.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

President Trump: "The witch hunt continues. The fact is that, I guess we got 81 letters. There was no collusion. That was a hoax. There was no anything." pic.twitter.com/BduCSypQiP

— The Hill (@thehill) March 5, 2019

In another sign of growing tensions between Trump and House Democrats, the White House rebuffed a separate request for documents pertaining to the security clearance process, a move that drastically increases the chances of a subpoena from the House Oversight Committee.

In a letter to Representative Elijah Cummings, that committee's chairman, White House counsel Pat Cipollone said the committee request for the information was "without legal support, clearly premature, and suggests a breach of the constitutionally required accommodation process."

Defending his panel's sweeping request, Nadler said House Democrats have "a responsibility to investigate these matters and hold hearings for the public to have all the facts." He pledged to move quickly.

Nadler said that House Democrats have "a responsibility to investigate these matters and hold hearings for the public to have all the facts." He pledged to move quickly.

Discover more

World

New probe could lay the groundwork for impeachment

04 Mar 08:28 PM
World

Seven names caught up in Democrats' document sweep

05 Mar 01:29 AM
World

What are the Donald Trump investigations all about?

05 Mar 07:17 AM
World

Bloomberg decides against presidential run

05 Mar 09:07 PM

But the extensive scope could bolster claims by Trump and Republicans that congressional Democrats are seeking to undermine the President and cripple his 2020 re-election effort rather than conduct a disciplined fact-finding inquiry.

Even some Democrats are voicing concern about that.

Report: Dems eye Trump tax return request in two weeks https://t.co/X7sDbFjvCJ pic.twitter.com/4L1YtMmWsg

— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) March 5, 2019

"Maybe I'm missing something, but the hazard of an omnibus document demand by House judiciary versus discreet, serial ones is that, however legitimate the areas of inquiry, the wide-ranging nature of it is too easily plays into the 'witch-hunt' meme," David Axelrod, a senior adviser to President Barack Obama, wrote on Twitter.

In a tweet, Trump quoted Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity asserting that Democrats' tactics amount to "modern day McCarthyism."

Nadler's requests came on the same day that three other House committee chairmen, including Schiff, wrote letters to the White House and the State Department requesting documents related to Trump's communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing "profound national security, counterintelligence, and foreign policy concerns."

Congressional investigations of Russian election interference remain ongoing, as does an inquiry by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is also examining whether Trump sought to obstruct his investigation.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Eric Trump, one of the president's sons who helps lead the Trump Organisation, also spoke out about a document request he received from Nadler.

"I mean, these people are so desperate," he said of Democrats during an appearance on Fox News Radio. "I mean, that's what it comes down to. If you can't win, what do you do? You obstruct, you try and impeach, you try and harass, you try and distract. I mean, that's all these people know how to do. I mean, they can't win."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

World

Paris makes clean water bet for River Seine bathers

20 Jun 02:37 AM
World

Air India crash probe under way as maintenance record scrutinised

20 Jun 02:30 AM
World

Suspect in Minnesota shootings listed 45 officials in notebook

20 Jun 02:15 AM

Jono and Ben brew up a tea-fuelled adventure in Sri Lanka

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Air India crash probe under way as maintenance record scrutinised

Air India crash probe under way as maintenance record scrutinised

20 Jun 02:30 AM

The plane’s last major check was in June 2023, with no issues reported.

Suspect in Minnesota shootings listed 45 officials in notebook

Suspect in Minnesota shootings listed 45 officials in notebook

20 Jun 02:15 AM
Billionaire vows to split $28b fortune among more than 100 children

Billionaire vows to split $28b fortune among more than 100 children

20 Jun 02:11 AM
'Substantial chance' of talks to end Israel-Iran conflict - Trump

'Substantial chance' of talks to end Israel-Iran conflict - Trump

20 Jun 01:11 AM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP