Trump: Fighting back against Russia probe is not obstruction

President Trump defended his attacks on investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election, denying that it amounts to obstruction and saying he was merely “fight[ing] back.”

“There’s been no collusion whatsoever,” Trump told reporters in an impromptu press conference on Wednesday. “There’s no obstruction whatsoever. And I’m looking forward to it.”

Trump also mocked critics who have accused him of obstructing the Russia probe by attacking the investigations and referring to them as a “witch hunt.”

“You fight back, oh, it’s obstruction,” Trump mockingly told reporters.

{mosads}Trump also told reporters that he plans to speak with special counsel Robert Mueller in two to three weeks, but said his lawyers are working out the specifics.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Trump said about being questioned by Mueller. “I would do it under oath.”

The president has repeatedly referred to the Russia probe as a “hoax” and said in December that the investigation “makes the country look very bad.”

“It puts the country in a very bad position,” Trump told The New York Times. “So the sooner it’s worked out, the better it is for the country.”

Trump has denied any collusion between his 2016 presidential campaign and Russia, and he told the Times that “even if there was, it’s not a crime.”

Mueller’s investigation has produced four indictments of former Trump officials, and the special counsel’s team has begun interviewing top Trump administration officials in recent weeks, including Attorney General Jeff Sessions.