In a hourlong speech at a Florida retirement home Oct. 3, President Donald Trump implied that the pharmaceutical industry was behind impeachment proceedings against him, according to Politico.
The president suggested that the industry's main lobby group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, was seeking payback for his administration's effort to lower drug costs.
"Lowering the cost of prescription drugs, taking on the pharmaceutical companies, you think that’s easy. It’s not easy. It's not easy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the hoax didn't come a little bit from some of the people that we’re taking on," President Trump said, according to Politico.
"Hoax" referred to the impeachment investigation, according to STAT.
"They're very powerful, they spend a lot of money, spend, I think, more money than any other group in the world actually in terms of lobbying and lobbying abilities," he added.
President Trump presented no evidence to support his claim, according to the report.
In response to questions about whether PhRMA was behind the impeachment efforts, a spokesperson for PhRMA told Politico, "Not to be so frank, but that is a ridiculous question."
The president was speaking at an event to sign an executive order aimed at improving Medicare Advantage, a private Medicare plans for seniors.
Read the full report here.