Washington (CNN) If there is anything President Donald Trump believes about Russia and the 2016 presidential race, it's that there was no collusion between any member of his campaign and Russian intelligence officials.

Asked in January about the possibility of sitting down with special counsel Bob Mueller to discuss Russia and the election, Trump unleashed this gem (bolding is mine):

"There has been no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russians or Trump and Russians. No collusion. When I watch you interviewing all the people leaving their committees, I mean, the Democrats are all running for office, trying to say this that -- but bottom line, they all say there's no collusion. And there is no collusion."

In short: No collusion. In long: No collusion.

Trump has called Mueller's exploration of possible collusion with the Russians a "witch hunt" and a "hoax." It's part of a broader PR campaign pursued by the President, his legal team and his loyalists to cast the special counsel investigation as a partisan endeavor, a wild goose chase that will end badly.

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