Trump on Russia probe: ‘This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!’
President Trump reportedly took the news of former FBI Director Robert Mueller’s appointment as a special counsel to independently investigate his campaign’s ties to Russia well on Wednesday night. Then came the morning.
“This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!” Trump tweeted early Thursday. “With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special counsel appointed!”
The tweets came a day after Mueller’s appointment to oversee the FBI’s ongoing probe into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2017
With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special counsel appointed!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2017
According to Politico, Trump learned of the Justice Department’s decision to tap Mueller after Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein informed White House counsel Don McGahn, who in turn told Trump.
“Trump handled it better than anyone expected,” Politico reported, citing a source in the room. “His reaction was ‘extremely measured,’ another said. He didn’t yell or scream. He told the assembled crowd they had nothing to hide.”
In a subsequent statement, Trump said he was confident he would be cleared in the probe.
“As I have stated many times, a thorough investigation will confirm what we already know — there was no collusion between my campaign and any foreign entity,” Trump said in a statement released by the White House. “I look forward to this matter concluding quickly. In the meantime, I will never stop fighting for the people and the issues that matter most to the future of our country.”
Rosenstein — who did not consult with the White House nor Attorney General Jeff Sessions on the choice of Mueller — is due on Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon to brief senators regarding Trump’s decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey.
Earlier Wednesday while delivering the commencement address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., Trump complained that the press has treated him more unfairly than any other politician in history.
“Look at the way I’ve been treated lately, especially by the media,” Trump said. “No politician in history — and I say this with great surety — has been treated worse or more unfairly.”
The comments were the president’s first public statements since the New York Times’ bombshell report alleging that Trump had asked Comey to drop the bureau’s investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn’s ties to Russia.
“You can’t let them get you down. You can’t let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams,” Trump told the graduates, drawing applause. “I guess that’s why I won.”
Early Thursday morning, Eric Trump, the second of the president’s three sons, also lashed out on Twitter.
“This entire thing is a witch hunt propagated by a failed political campaign,” he tweeted.
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