New York Daily News

Prez sneers at probe 1-yr. mark

- BY CHRIS SOMMERFELD­T and DENIS SLATTERY

HAPPY ANNIVERSAR­Y.

President Trump offered sarcastic congrats to America on the one-year anniversar­y of the appointmen­t of special counsel Robert Mueller.

The President maintained his innocence and ripped into Democrats — before suggesting that there was an FBI informant embedded in his campaign two years ago, saying that, if true, it would be “bigger than Watergate.”

“Congratula­tions America, we are now into the second year of the greatest Witch Hunt in American History . . . and there is still No Collusion and No Obstructio­n,” Trump tweeted. “The only Collusion was that done by Democrats who were unable to win an Election despite the spending of far more money!”

It was one year ago Thursday when Mueller, the former FBI director, was appointed as special counsel to take over the Justice Department’s federal probe into Russian election meddling and possible coordinati­on between Trump’s 2016 presidenti­al campaign and the Kremlin.

Over the past 12 months, Mueller has filed a flurry of indictment­s and the investigat­ion has garnered nearly half a dozen guilty pleas. Trump, whose firing of former FBI Director James Comey led to Mueller’s appointmen­t, has repeatedly railed against the probe and tweets about the investigat­ion frequently. “Despite the disgusting, illegal and unwarrante­d Witch Hunt, we have had the most successful first 17 month Administra­tion in U.S. history - by far!” Trump tweeted Thursday. “Sorry to the Fake News Media and ‘Haters,’ but that’s the way it is!” And yet, Mueller’s office has charged 19 people — including four Trump campaign advisers — and three Russian companies. Trump’s former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and his deputy campaign chairman, Rick Gates, have pleaded guilty and are now cooperatin­g with the probe. Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort (photo below), who maintains his innocence, has been charged with a bevy of crimes related to his foreign lobbying work, including money laundering and bank fraud. Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoul­os has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is cooperatin­g with Mueller. Attorney Alex van der Zwaan has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI and is serving a short jail term. Trump’s firing of Comey also raised the possibilit­y that the President sought to obstruct justice. A source close to the White

 ??  ?? As the Russia election meddling probe by special counsel Robert Mueller (left) passed a milestone Thursday, President Trump snarled, “Congratula­tions America, we are now into the second year of the greatest Witch Hunt in American History.”
As the Russia election meddling probe by special counsel Robert Mueller (left) passed a milestone Thursday, President Trump snarled, “Congratula­tions America, we are now into the second year of the greatest Witch Hunt in American History.”
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