President Donald Trump took some swings at a favorite punching bag again on Wednesday: beleaguered Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Claiming special counsel Robert Mueller is “conflicted” and the investigators working for him are a “disgrace to USA!” Trump not-so-subtlety told Sessions to end the Russia probe “right now.”
..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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
It appears to be the first time that Trump has directly told his Department of Justice to end the Russia investigation.
While Trump used to regularly lash out at his attorney general for recusing himself from the Russia investigation, which led to the appointment of Mueller, the President has left Sessions alone for months.
With the trial for his former campaign manager Paul Manafort — who is facing multiple charges, including tax fraud and failure to register as a foreign agent — underway, Trump can’t get the “witch hunt” off his mind. He’s tweeted about the probe into his campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 election nearly daily for weeks.
Moments before the Sessions tweet, Trump posted a quote from Harvard law professor, and Trump defender, Alan Dershowitz, claiming that FBI agent Peter Strzok should have recused himself from the Mueller probe because he sent anti-Trump texts to his girlfriend. Dershowitz also claimed that Mueller was “going to protect these guys,” despite the fact that Mueller removed Strzok from the probe after he discovered the text messages.
“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. He needed an insurance policy. Those are illegal, improper goals, trying to influence the Election. He should never, ever been allowed to……..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
..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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018