Lawyer says Trump not under investigation

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer said on Sunday that Trump is not under investigation in the probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential race, a statement that appeared to contradict a comment Trump himself made on Twitter last week.

“The fact of the matter is the president has not been and is not under investigation,” said Jay Sekulow, a lawyer who is part of a team hired by Trump to deal with allegations of collusion by his campaign with Moscow, on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

Sekulow added that the president has not received any notification that he is being investigated. The CBS appearance was one of four talk show interviews Sekulow gave on Sunday.

On Friday, Trump had tweeted: “I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt.”

Robert Mueller, the special counsel named by the Justice Department to probe the Russia matter, is investigating whether anyone associated with Trump or his campaign had any illegal dealings with Russian officials or others with ties to the Kremlin.

A US official who is familiar with the rough outlines of the probe and who spoke on condition of anonymity said on Thursday that Mueller was also examining whether Trump or others tried to interfere with the investigation.

Trump has frequently lashed out about the Russia allegations, which have overshadowed his administration’s efforts to overhaul the healthcare system, cut taxes and boost jobs.

Trump has denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia. Russian officials have denied meddling in the US election.