Trump's private notes on impeachment and Democrat 'achomlishments' caught on camera
US president uses handwritten talking points as aid during 10-minute diatribe
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Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump’s private notes on how to respond to the escalating threat of impeachment proceedings have been revealed in a photo taken moments before he addressed reporters outside the White House.
The image, taken by Washington Post photographer Jabin Botsford, shows a list of talking points scrawled in permanent marker on a sheet of A4 paper.
The president apparently used the notes as an aid during a hastily arranged press conference in the Rose Garden on Wednesday afternoon in which he railed against the Mueller report and the possibility of impeachment.
“They want to impeach me over acts that they did,” the document reads, in reference to Democrats who Mr Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed colluded with Russia.
It continues: “Dems have no achomlishments (sic) I’m going to keep working for the American people.”
Trump rages as action to remove him from White House intensifies in congress - live updates
Elsewhere Mr Trump quotes House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s claim earlier in the day during a discussion with colleagues that the president had “engaged in a cover-up”.
Asked by The Independent if the notes were written by Mr Trump, graphologist Adam Brand confirmed they matched earlier examples of the president's handwriting.
The press conference, which amounted to 10-minute diatribe by Mr Trump, came moments after the president stormed out of a bipartisan White House infrastructure meeting with Ms Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer..
Mr Trump said he told the Democratic leadership he would no longer work with the party until all investigations against him had been closed.
Mr Trump reportedly said in the five-minute meeting he would like to work on infrastructure but would not negotiate with them until the probes had reached their conclusions — before walking out of the room.
Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer held a competing press conference of their own on Wednesday, with the latter telling reporters, “What happened in the White House would make your jaw drop”.
The Washington Post reported that ahead of the infrastructure meeting Mr Trump and his aides hatched a plan to deliberately sabotage it.
White House sources told the newspaper press secretary Sarah Sanders alerted staff minutes before the 11am start time to prepare the Rose Garden for a news conference at 11.20am.
Mr Trump then left the Democrats waiting at a conference table for around 15 minutes before “he walks in, goes to the head of the table, not even his assigned seat, doesn’t sit, doesn’t shake anyone’s hand. Stands there and begins a lecture,” an aide said.
Moments later he was outside delivering his message to the assembled media.
Donald Trump's notes in full:
Nancy Pelosi just stated "We believe that the President of the U.S. is engaged in a coverup. Most transparent
They want to impeach me over acts that they did.
Dems have no achomlishments (sic)
I'm going to keep working for the American people
Intentially [unknown] before
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