U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the federal probe examining allegations of collusion and obstruction of justice, saying that special counsel Robert Mueller is “totally conflicted.”
“This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!” Trump tweeted in a series of tweets, according to POLITICO.
The U.S. president has consistently tried to undermine Mueller’s Russia investigation, often calling it a “witch hunt,” but never has gone so far to ask Sessions to call it off. He has, however, strongly criticized Sessions for recusing himself from the Russia probe, which is now overseen by deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein.
A Justice Department spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment.
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While Trump and his allies have repeatedly highlighted donations that members of Mueller’s team of prosecutors have made to Democrats, top FBI and DOJ officials have emphasized that they don’t screen personnel based on political views — and many of Mueller’s prosecutors are seasoned law enforcement veterans.
Trump also appears to have recalibrated the number of “angry Democrats” he claims are working for Mueller. While he’s consistently railed against 13, he upped the figure to 17 for his Wednesday morning tweet.
Trump’s tweet comes as the first trial connected to Mueller’s Russia probe is currently underway. This week, Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort is facing a jury on bank and tax fraud charges.
