Democrats' hopes for an easy road to impeachment were dashed when former Special Counsel Robert Mueller didn't give them what they wanted, according to Trey Gowdy.
Some lawmakers on the House Judiciary and House Intelligence Committees also were trying to apply a different legal standard to President Trump than is custom, Gowdy claimed Wednesday on "The Story."
"Before Bob Mueller had uttered a single syllable of the report, 60 House Democrats moved to impeach him," he said. "What they wanted was Mueller to come in and do their job for them -- to issue this roadmap that could lead them to impeachment."
The former South Carolina Republican congressman -- and previous member of the Judiciary Committee -- continued, characterizing the hearings collectively as "an unmitigated trainwreck."
TRUMP SAYS MUELLER DID 'HORRIBLE' JOB AT HEARINGS, BUT HAD 'NOTHING TO WORK WITH'
Regarding President Trump, the Fox News contributor claimed several Democrats were applying a "political standard" rather than a legal standard.
"In the criminal justice realm, you are cloaked with the presumption of innocence... unless and until the United States government proves each essential element of an offense beyond a reasonable doubt."
He said Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I. and other Democrats who questioned Mueller were instead trying to make the president responsible for his own exoneration in the Russia investigation.
"You can't do it, which is why we don't make people do it in court," Gowdy said.
"They're having a hard time getting their standard right."
Earlier Wednesday, Trump himself blasted those same Democrats and members of the press in fiery remarks outside the White House, as he was preparing to travel to West Virginia.
The president pointed to multiple news agencies in the press pool calling them, "fake news," saying Democrats will, "never give up" trying to indict him for crimes related to Russian meddling in the 2016 election.
Fox News' Vandana Rambaran contributed to this report.
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