Tweet targets ‘the man who told me to fire the FBI Director’
President Donald Trump said the investigation into his firing of FBI Director James Comey was a “witch hunt,” and appeared to attack Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in a Twitter post on Friday.
“I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director!” Trump said on Twitter.” The tweet marked the first time Trump has publicly acknowledged that he is under investigation.
Rosenstein wrote a memo that was initially used by the White House to justify Comey’s firing, which is now being investigated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Mueller was appointed by Rosenstein.
Neither the White House nor Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump’s legal team, which is handling media inquiries about the investigation, immediately responded to requests for comment.
Rosenstein told senators Tuesday that only he, not the president, can fire Mueller, and that he’s done nothing to warrant dismissal. He told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee there would need to be “good cause” to dismiss the special counsel.
“I appointed him. I stand by that decision,” said Rosenstein. “I’m going to defend the integrity of that investigation.”
Rosenstein, who took charge of the Russia investigation when Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself in March, appeared to express frustration Thursday about continuous leaks about the probe.
“Americans should exercise caution before accepting as true any stories attributed to anonymous ‘officials,”’ he said in a statement. “Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations.”
Trump has taken to Twitter this week to repeatedly attack officials investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, lashing out at reports that the probe has widened to include potential obstruction of justice by the president.
“You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history - led by some very bad and conflicted people! #MAGA,” Trump tweeted on Thursday morning.
Mueller plans to interview two top U. intelligence officials about whether Trump sought their help to get the FBI to back off a related probe of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, according to three people familiar with the inquiry.
Trump tweeted his displeasure that the investigation could now include an inquiry about obstruction of justice.
“They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story,” Trump tweeted on Thursday.”
Trump’s tweets attacking Mueller’s investigation come after several of his confidants have criticized the probe and the people leading it.
The White House said Thursday that Trump was not considering firing Mueller.
“He has no intention to make any changes whatsoever on that front,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Thursday.
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