President Donald Trump fired off several tweets early Wednesday morning insisting that he is “calm and calculated” after several reports on Tuesday detailed Trump’s anger following the FBI raid on his longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen.
Trump publicly fumed over the raid on Cohen’s residences and office on Monday, calling the FBI’s move “an attack on our country,” and has reportedly continued to vent about the Cohen raid and special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe behind closed doors. Though Trump insisted in his tweets that he has been calmly going about his presidential duties, he again lashed out at the FBI for the “unthinkable” raid on Cohen and defended his need to “fight back” against the Russia probes.
So much Fake News about what is going on in the White House. Very calm and calculated with a big focus on open and fair trade with China, the coming North Korea meeting and, of course, the vicious gas attack in Syria. Feels great to have Bolton & Larry K on board. I (we) are
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018
….doing things that nobody thought possible, despite the never ending and corrupt Russia Investigation, which takes tremendous time and focus. No Collusion or Obstruction (other than I fight back), so now they do the Unthinkable, and RAID a lawyers office for information! BAD!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018
Trump’s unhappiness with the Mueller investigation has long been simmering, and the news of the FBI raid on his longtime lawyer and fixer reportedly sent the President over the edge. Two people close to the West Wing told the New York Times that Trump was close to a “meltdown” on Tuesday. White House aides told the Times that they were worried Trump would fire Mueller.
The President told advisers over the weekend that he wanted to fire Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and FBI Director Christopher Wray, according to the New York Times. His frustration with leadership at the Justice Department only grew after the Cohen raid, and he trained his ire on Rosenstein, the DOJ official who oversees the Mueller probe and who reportedly signed off on the Cohen raid.
Trump is now considering firing Rosenstein, a move he’s entertained before, sources told CNN. Aides also told the New York Times that they believe Trump is considering firing Rosenstein.
The President is also reconsidering whether he will sit for an interview with Mueller’s team, a White House official told CNN.