Watch: Sarah Sanders struggles to explain why Trump thinks Mueller ruined US relations with Russia

A combative Sarah Huckabee Sanders appeared at the daily White House briefing today to tackle questions about the raid on Michael Cohen's office and the president's tweeted threats to fire missiles at Syria despite protestations of Russia, which has been protecting dictator Bashar al-Assad.

"Bad blood with Russia is caused by the fake and corrupt Russia investigation," Trump tweeted this morning.

Sanders was asked to square the president's two conflicting accounts of why tensions have risen with Russia—and went down in flames trying.

"Isn't it Russia's support for what the president himself calls a 'Gas Killing Animal,' or its meddling in our elections, or its military intervention in Ukraine?" she was asked.

"The president has been clear that the relationship with Russia is at a new low and that's due to a number of factors," Sanders said. "Certainly the things you listed off as well as the investigation, are all things that have hurt that relationship."

"So Robert Mueller's actions are similar to—I mean, I mean," she was asked.

"I didn't say that," she said. "I said both things are bad for America. That's all I said."

Watch the full exchange below.