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President Trump stops to talk to the media as he climbs aboard the Marine One and leaves the South White House lawn last month. (Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post)
John Wagner
National journalist heads up the political press team at The Post newspaper
President Trump again criticized Thursday the investigation of special advocate Robert S. Mueller III, calling his team of lawyers "shameful for our nation" and accusing them, without evidence, of threatening the witnesses get the answers that they wish.
The rumor of Trump, in a pair of morning tweets, came a week after the installation of Matthew G. Whitaker as Acting Attorney General. A move that many Democrats have said seems to be aimed at limiting Mueller's investigation into the possible coordination between Russia's and Trump's campaign in the 2016 election.
Trump vehemently rejected a reporter's question about the idea last week and said he did not talk to Whitaker about the investigation of Russia before appointing him to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions. , reversed.
Many of Trump's complaints in Thursday's tweets were familiar, but they took on special significance when Whitaker is currently monitoring Mueller's investigation, which also examines whether Trump has obstructed justice.
"The cogs in the Mueller investigation are a total mess," wrote Trump. "They found no collusion and became completely insane. They scream and shout at people, threatening them horribly to give them the answers they want. They are a shame for our nation and no matter how many people are living in ruins. "
He continued, "These are angry people, including Bob Mueller, very conflictual, who worked for Obama for 8 years. They will not even see all the wrongdoing and the crimes on the other side. A NIGHT TOTAL WITCH HUNTING IN AMERICAN HISTORY! "
In his tweets, Trump misrepresented Mueller's antecedents. Registered Republican, he was appointed director of the FBI in 2001 by President George W. Bush. In 2011, President Barack Obama extended his original ten-year term by two years.
Last year, Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein appointed Mueller Special Advocate. He began overseeing the investigation of Russia after Sessions recused himself, citing his role in Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.
White House officials have sought in recent days to emphasize their continued cooperation with the Mueller team despite Trump's opinion on the investigation.
During a television appearance on Thursday morning, Representative Jerrold Nadler (DN.Y.) said he was concerned that Trump's description of the "internal workings" of the investigation on Mueller could indicate that Whitaker wrongly shares details about this with the president.
"Of course, with this president, we do not know. He may have just invented that because he's lying all the time, "said Nadler, who is expected to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee when Democrats take control of the House in January.
Nadler said it seemed to him that Whitaker had been appointed for the "specific purpose of making the hatchet to sabotage this investigation".
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Blocked a bipartisan effort to protect Special Advocate Mueller's investigation through legislation, claiming he had not seen the evidence that the White House was closing it.
The bill would give any dismissed special advocate the power to quickly challenge their dismissal before a panel of three federal judges.
On Wednesday, the Justice Department released a memorandum defending the legality of Trump's appointment of Whitaker, dismissing criticism by some lawyers that the move would violate the constitution.
Since the announcement made last week, some accuse Whitaker, who was Sessions's chief of staff, of not being appointed to head the Justice Department, as he is not a manager confirmed by the Senate.
On Tuesday, the Maryland Attorney General, Brian E. Frosh, Democrat, asked a federal judge to block the appointment of Whitaker, saying Rosenstein should instead assume that role.
Devlin Barrett and Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report. .
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