‘WITCH HUNT!’ Trump steps up attacks on Mueller probe

WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump on Wednesday stepped up his attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller, calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to put an end to the ongoing Russia investigation, which the president referred to as a “witch hunt”.

““FBI Agent Peter Strzok (on the Mueller team) should have recused himself on day one. He was out to STOP THE ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP,” the president posted to his now famous Twitter feed. “He needed an insurance policy. Those are illegal, improper goals, trying to influence the Election. He should never, ever been allowed to remain in the FBI while he himself was being investigated. This is a real issue. It won’t go into a Mueller Report because Mueller is going to protect these guys. Mueller has an interest in creating the illusion of objectivity around his investigation,” the president quoted famed legal analyst Alan Dershowitz as saying.

“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!” the president continued. “Paul Manafort worked for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other highly prominent and respected political leaders. He worked for me for a very short time. Why didn’t government tell me that he was under investigation? These old charges have nothing to do with Collusion – a Hoax!”

“Russian Collusion with the Trump Campaign, one of the most successful in history, is a TOTAL HOAX,” Trump continued. “The Democrats paid for the phony and discredited Dossier which was, along with Comey, McCabe, Strzok and his lover, the lovely Lisa Page, used to begin the Witch Hunt. Disgraceful!”

The president’s comments were quick to draw criticism from members of the Democratic party who are pushing for evidence that he colluded with Russia to sway the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

“Tweets like this one directing the Attorney General to stop the investigation of Trump and his friends are among the many reasons why Mueller will conclude Trump obstructed justice,” former federal prosecutor and CNN legal analyst Renato Mariotti argued in a tweet.

But Trump’s team was quick to point out that the president was only speaking his opinion and had taken no official steps to end the ongoing investigation.

“It’s an opinion. And he used a medium that he uses for opinions: Twitter,” Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani told reporters on Wednesday. “He used the word ‘should.’ He didn’t use the word ‘must.’ And there was no presidential directive that followed.”