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Trump says re-election ‘easier’ if Dems try to impeach him

This article is more than 12 months old

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said in an interview broadcast on Sunday his chances of retaining the White House in 2020 would be strengthened if Democratic lawmakers start impeachment proceedings against him.

Asked on NBC whether he thought impeachment was good politics for him, Mr Trump replied: "I think I win the election easier."

He repeated his allegation that the Federal Bureau of Intelligence's investigation into his 2016 campaign was illegal.

"I was spied on. What they did to me was illegal. It was illegal on the other side. I did nothing wrong," he said in the previously recorded interview.

"So impeachment's a very unfair thing because nothing that I did was wrong. And if you look at the Mueller report, there was no collusion. This was all about collusion."

The Democrats are split over whether Mr Trump should be impeached after the Mueller report into Russian interference in the 2016 election outlined numerous contacts between his campaign and Russians, as well as evidence that he tried to stymie the investigation.

While many candidates for the Democratic nomination are pro-impeachment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has argued it would be a risky move without an "ironclad" case and bipartisan support.

If the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives were to vote on formal impeachment charges, the Republican-held Senate would decide whether to convict, which requires a two-thirds majority.

Mr Trump told NBC Mrs Pelosi was staving off growing impeachment calls from within the Democratic caucus because she agreed with his assessment that it would harm their prospects in 2020.

"I think she feels that I will win much easier," he said. "I mean, I've been told that by many people."

Mr Trump also said he was not prepared to lose his re-election bid and revealed that former vice-president Joe Biden was his preferred opponent. - AFP

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