WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump spent a third consecutive night drinking in the adulation of his most diehard supporters, telling a meeting of religious conservatives that he should sue Rep. Adam Schiff for misrepresenting what he said on the Ukraine call.
"I actually told my lawyers, I said, 'sue him anyway,'" Trump said. "'He has immunity ... ' I said, 'sue him anyway. Even if we lose, the American public will understand.'" Schiff is the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Trump made lengthy speeches Thursday in Minnesota and Friday in Louisiana and _ using a teleprompter on and off _ hit many of the same notes Saturday at the "Value Voters Summit" in Washington: the perils of socialism, his upstart 2016 victory, the need for strong borders, the success of his trade negotiations with China.
The annual summit is hosted by the Family Research Council, a Protestant activist group.
Trump told attendees that his political opponents are trying to "tear down" Christians.
"They're trying to silence and punish the speech of Christians and religious believers of all faiths," Trump said. "They are trying to hound you from the workplace, expel you from the public square and weaken the American family and indoctrinate our children."
In remarks that stretched for more than an hour, the president also touched on the outcry that's followed his decision this week to pull U.S. troops out of Northern Syria at the urging of Turkey, describing himself as "sort of an island of one."
"I don't think our troops should be there guarding the border of Syria when we can't guard our own borders," Trump said. "We don't want to be in 19-year wars."
Former U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said in an interview to air Sunday that the U.S. risks a resurgence of the Islamic State terrorist group by pulling remaining troops from helping out Kurdish fighters.
