Man probing Trump links to Russians ‘not sacked’

DONALD Trump is not considering sacking the special counsel investigating Russian election interference, a top White House lawyer said.

It follows tweets from the US president which prompted speculation he may be preparing to get rid of the veteran prosecutor.

The statement from White House lawyer Ty Cobb came after top congressional Republicans warned of repercussions if Mr Trump removed special counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into contacts between the president’s 2016 campaign and Russian meddling in the election.

In a series of weekend tweets, Mr Trump jabbed directly at Mr Mueller by name for the first time. The president challenged the investigation’s existence and suggested political bias on the part of Mr Mueller’s investigators.

Mr Trump has long been frustrated by the lengthy and intensifying probe and insists his campaign did not collude with Russia to influence the election in his favour.

“The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime,” he said in a late Saturday tweet he ended with: “Witch Hunt!”

The tweets revived talk that Mr Trump may, in an attempt to end the investigation, move to have Mr Mueller sacked.

But Mr Cobb said: “In response to media speculation and related questions being posed to the administration, the White House yet again confirms that the president is not considering or discussing the firing of the special counsel, Robert Mueller.”