FILE - In this Friday Jan., 18, 2019 file photo, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, left, speaks with reporters after visiting with local officials to discuss how the four-week partial government shutdown is impacting an area with several major federal employers, including the Internal Revenue Service in Ogden, Utah. Sen. Mitt Romney says heâs âsickenedâ by the dishonesty the Russia investigation found in the Trump White House. Now President Donald Trump is firing back at the Utah Republican, tweeting Saturday, April 20, 2019 that if Romney âspent the same energy fighting Barack Obama as he does fighting Donald Trump, he could have won the race (maybe)!â Romney has been one of the few prominent Republicans to criticize Trump since Trumpâs election. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Mitt Romney says he's "sickened" by the dishonesty the Russia investigation found in the Trump White House, but the president fires back that Romney should have put the same energy into running for president in 2012 that the Utah Republican has tapped in criticizing him.
Romney also tweeted Friday that in reading the special counsel's report he was "appalled" Americans working on the Trump campaign had welcomed help from Russia.
On Saturday, Trump responded via Twitter, saying if Romney "spent the same energy fighting Barack Obama as he does fighting Donald Trump, he could have won the race (maybe)!"
In 2012 Romney won a slightly greater percentage of the popular vote than Trump in 2016. He's one of the few prominent Republicans to criticize Trump since Trump's election.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump, walk down the stairs of Air Force One during their arrival at Palm Beach International Airport, Thursday, April 18, 2019, in West Palm Beach, Fla. Trump traveled to Florida to spend the Easter weekend as his Mar-a-Lago estate. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
The Associated Press