File Photo: Screenshot/Official Transition 2017 YouTube channel
President Donald Trump on Friday morning said he is being investigated for firing ex-CIA director James Comey and angrily called the probe a witch hunt.
The confirmation of the probe follows reports that the Special Investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. 2016 election process has broadened to include the allegation that President Trump attempted to obstruct the probe.
The special probe, led by former FBI director. Robert Mueller, follows allegations of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials over influencing the U.S. political process.
I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2017
Comey suggested in a Congressional testimony last week that Presidnt Trump sought to influence the investigation when he was in charge of the FBI but said it was for the officials to determine if that is what conversations between the President and him amounted to.
Trump’s twitter message that he is being investigated by the man who asked him to fire Comey – who was earlier heading the probe -appeared to refer to Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.
On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that the Mueller-led probe has widened to ascertain if President Trump tried to obstruct it.
But Rosenstein questioned veracity of such stories sourced from unidentified quarters.
“Americans should exercise caution before accepting as true any stories attributed to anonymous ‘officials,’ particularly when they do not identify the country — let alone the branch of agency of government — with which the alleged sources supposedly are affiliated,” Rosenstein’s statement said.
“Americans should be skeptical about anonymous allegations,” he said, and noted that “The Department of Justice has a long established policy to neither confirm nor deny such allegations.”
In his morning twitterstorm, President Trump hit out at the whole process.
After 7 months of investigations & committee hearings about my "collusion with the Russians," nobody has been able to show any proof. Sad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2017
President Trump also defended his government’s performance in the face of the ongoing issues.
Despite the phony Witch Hunt going on in America, the economic & jobs numbers are great. Regulations way down, jobs and enthusiasm way up!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2017
There has been no official word from the White House so far to explain the president’s twitter message that he is being investigated. According to media reports, officials have referred reporters to his personal counsel.
