President again claiming ‘witch hunt’ in Russia probe

WASHINGTON – After a weekend of tweets assailing special counsel Robert Mueller and the Russia investigation, President Donald Trump went at it again Monday.

“A total WITCH HUNT with massive conflicts of interest!” the president tweeted hours before a trip to New Hampshire to discuss the opioid crisis.

Trump did not elaborate on his cryptic claim, but the tweet came after days when he accused Mueller of having too many Democrats on his staff and claimed his investigation was based on vindictive FBI agents and a “fake” dossier alleging cooperation between the Trump campaign and Russians who sought to influence the 2016 presidential campaign.

Democrats and many Republicans said Mueller is conducting a legitimate investigation that has led to a series of indictments.

The president’s critics accused him of laying the groundwork to try to remove Mueller, and some Republicans warned Trump against taking such a step.

“As I have said before, if he tried to do that, that would be the beginning of the end of his presidency because we’re a rule-of-law nation,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

The White House said no such move is being contemplated.

“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,” said a statement from White House attorney Ty Cobb.

The flap also takes place as Mueller’s office and Trump’s attorneys try to negotiate potential testimony from the president.