White House: Trump ‘just riffing’ in swipe at late lawmaker

(AP) The White House says that President Donald Trump was “riffing” Wednesday when he took a swipe at the late Democratic Rep. John Dingell during his raucous impeachment-day rally in Michigan. That drew a quick rebuke from the longtime Michigan congressman’s widow and successor in the House.

Trump said at Wednesday’s rally in Battle Creek that Debbie Dingell had thanked him for providing “A-plus treatment” after her husband’s death in February. He added that maybe the deceased congressman was “looking up,” rather than down, from beyond the grave.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham says she doesn’t know why Trump attacked the Dingells, but tells ABC’s “Good Morning America” Trump: “was just riffing on some of the things that had been happening the past few days.”