President Donald Trump on Wednesday referred to the investigation into Russian election meddling and related matters as “an attempted coup,” “treason” and “illegal,” markedly harsh words, even for him, as Congress awaits special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report.

“This was an attempted coup,” Trump told reporters outside the White House, as Marine One whirred in the background. “This was an attempted take down of a President. And we beat them. We beat them.”

He also seemed to prime the public for the report’s contents regarding obstruction of justice. Mueller declined to make a prosecution recommendation on obstruction, and Attorney General William Barr subsequently said Trump’s actions were not criminal.

“When they talk about obstruction, we fight back,” Trump said. “And you know why we fight back? Because I knew how illegal this whole thing was. It was a scam.”

He added later: “What they did was treason. What they did was terrible. What they did was against our constitution and everything we stand for.”