Trump has been increasingly vocal in pressuring the Justice Department to curb the investigation.
Donald Trump raised fears that be may be planning to fire Robert Mueller after an angry tweet on Friday demanding that the Russia investigation “MUST END NOW,” one that comes amid new evidence of a direct connection between Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin.
On Friday morning, Trump took to Twitter to react to a report from the House Intelligence Committee about Russian actions during the 2016 election. Republicans on the committee released a 253-page report on Russian interference, reaching the conclusion that there was no collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia. The report was met with immediate controversy, as Democrats on the committee offered a different opinion and said that much more investigation is needed.
Donald Trump quickly seized on the news, taking to Twitter to publicly call for an end to the Russia investigation and taking aim at one of his favorite targets, Hillary Clinton.
“Just Out: House Intelligence Committee Report released. ‘No evidence’ that the Trump Campaign ‘colluded, coordinated or conspired with Russia.’ Clinton Campaign paid for Opposition Research obtained from Russia- Wow! A total Witch Hunt! MUST END NOW!”
The tweet raised fears that Donald Trump may be planning to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
Donald Trump’s tweet came one day after he appeared on Fox & Friends and floated the idea of intervening in the Justice Department’s investigation.
“They have a witch hunt against the president of the United States going on,” Trump said during the interview via Bloomberg. “I’ve taken the position — and I don’t have to take this position and maybe I’ll change –that I will not be involved with the Justice Department. I will wait until this is over. It’s a total — it’s all lies and it’s a horrible thing that’s going on.”
Taken together, both statements raised fears that Donald Trump was angling to fire Robert Mueller, or to at least do whatever he could to curb the Russia investigation. Many called for the Senate to move forward on a measure that would protect Mueller from being fired.
Donald Trump’s fresh attacks on the Russia investigation come the same day as a report that showed a deeper level of ties between Trump’s campaign and the Kremlin than previously reported. As the New York Times reported, the Russian lawyer who met with Trump officials at Trump Tower offering dirt on Hillary Clinton had a direct tie to the Kremlin, working with Russia’s chief legal office against the U.S. Justice Department. The lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, had previously stated that she had no direct ties to the Kremlin. Trump claims that nothing came of the meeting.
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