Issa: Every candidate would love opposition research
Trump accuses Democrats of hypocrisy over outrage at his comment on foreign assistance; former California Congressman Darrell Issa weighs in.
Former Republican Rep. Darrell Issa said critics of President Trump's opposition research comments are being hypocritical on "Outnumbered" Thursday, and claimed they'd have done the exact same thing.
Trump told ABC News' George Stephanopolous he would consider looking at opposition research of his political rivals if he was approached with an offer by a foreign government, during a Wednesday interview.
"He should have answered it the way you should always answer George Stephanopoulos which is, I’m not going to answer your hypothetical which means you don’t answer any questions," Issa said.
"But, let’s go back again to the press. That oppo research will be taken by the press and will be run with. Okay? The reality is, in the normal course of politics, when people get dirt, they give it to the press," he continued.
"So whether it goes through a campaign, through a lawyer or through the original source, the fact is opposition research, every politician who's now crying he would never do this would love nothing more than the press running with it."
Issa said the true issue is whether or not foreign governments were involved in spying on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and what the administration plans to do about it.
DEMS HAMMER TRUMP FOR OPENNESS TO FOREIGN CAMPAIGN INTEL, STAY SILENT ON CLINTON, DNC OUTREACH
"I think the important thing is we're losing track of what's going on right now," he said. "The attorney general is looking into whether or not foreign intelligence was asked for, paid for and weaponized against this president and the campaign."
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"That’s the part that really we know it happened. And we want to know who was involved in it."
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