Jan. 6 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump, during a short news conference Saturday at Camp David, denied he's done anything to hamper the Russia investigation, including a report he tried to stop Attorney General Jeff Sessions from recusing himself.
"Everything I've done is 100 percent proper," Trump told reporters meetings with congressional leaders and some administration members at Camp David in Maryland. "That is what I do, is I do things proper."
Trump said a New York Times report Thursday claiming he asked White House's top lawyer Donald McGahn to convince Sessions not to recuse himself from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian actors "was way off, or at least, off."
When asked what is inaccurate about the article, the president said, "you'll find out. But the story was off."
Related
He also repeated that "there's been no collusion, there's been no crime."
And president said he still has faith in his attorney general, who was not among the eight Cabinet members invited to Camp David for two days.
"The Camp David retreat is an opportunity for the president to bring together bicameral congressional leadership to discuss this year's legislative agenda," said White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters. "Therefore, the majority of the Cabinet is not attending."
Trump initially met with the media to discuss his 2018 legislative agenda and mid-election situation, but he also discussed the Russia investigation, North Korea and Michael Wolff's book Fire and Fury: Inside Trump's White House.
He said he wants a fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects 700,000 young immigrants from deportation but expires on March 5. "We all want DACA to happen, but we also want great security for our country," Trump told reporters.
His Department of Homeland Security has asked Congress for $18 billion over 10 years to build a wall along the Mexican border.
Trump also said Saturday he "absolutely" would engage in phone conversations with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Although his foreign policy officials have said there must be some preconditions to talks with North Korea, Trump said, "I always believe in talking."
"Our stance, you know what it is. We're very firm," Trump continued. "But I would be -- absolutely, I would do that. No problem with that, at all."
Before addressing the media, he posted five tweets on Twitter Saturday, including a description of himself as a "very stable genius" because he "went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star to President of the United States (on my first try)."
Asked Saturday why he would tweet to defend his mental abilities, Trump said he went to the "best" college and was an "excellent" student who then had business and political success.
"And then I hear this guy that doesn't know me, doesn't know me at all," Trump said. He said a conversation Wolff claims occurred, "didn't exist, OK, it's in his imagination."
"I consider it a work of fiction," Trump said of Wolff's book.
He also mentioned "libel laws are very weak in this country. If they were strong it would be very helpful."
One of Trumper's person lawyers has sent a cease-and-desist letter Thursday to Wolff and his publisher. The book went on sale Friday.