No, he did not, had he done so we'd be holding impeachment and removal proceedings. Whether or not the president committed a crime is not under discussion, whether or not he acted unwisely, displayed prejudice, or fed into existing anger is.

Or are you arguing he served the nation better by not having said, the first time asked and never unsolicited, "This is an ongoing criminal case, it would not be proper for me to comment."?

Now you've made many points, some quite good, but the problem is they all come back to the same original screwup, speaking on the matter at all, and he hasn't acknowledged that screwup nor just let it fade out.