Trump launches new Dem attacks
Twitter flurry comes as charges expected
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump expressed renewed frustration Sunday over the investigations into alleged ties between his campaign associates and Russian government officials, saying on Twitter that the “facts are pouring out” about links to Russia by his former presidential opponent, Hillary Clinton.
“DO SOMETHING!” Mr. Trump urged in one of five morning tweets.
Mr. Trump’s tweets followed a CNN report late Friday that a federal grand jury in Washington has approved the first charges in a criminal investigation into Russia ties led by special counsel Robert Mueller.
The Associated Press has not confirmed the CNN report.
Ty Cobb, a member of Mr. Trump’s legal team, said the president was not referring to CNN’s reporting.
“Contrary to what many have suggested, the president’s comments [Sunday] are unrelated to the activities of the special counsel, with whom he continues to cooperate,” Mr. Cobb said in a statement.
Mr. Trump and the White House insist there was no collusion between his presidential campaign and Russia. Both have pointed a finger at Ms. Clinton and have suggested that the real story of collusion with Russia is the sale of uranium to Moscow when Ms. Clinton was secretary of state.
U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered with the election to benefit Mr. Trump, a finding that Mr. Trump has not fully
accepted. Mr. Mueller and Congress are investigating
In the tweets, Mr. Trump referenced the fact that Ms. Clinton’s presidential campaign helped fund political research into Mr. Trump that ultimately produced a dossier of allegations about his ties to Russia.
He also pointed to the uranium sale, the tens of thousands of emails from Ms. Clinton’s time at the State Department that she later deleted from a private email server, and the decision by then-FBI Director Jim Comey to not bring criminal charges against Ms. Clinton for possible mishandling of classified information.
“Instead they look at phony Trump/Russia ‘collusion,’ which doesn’t exist. The Dems are using this terrible (and bad for our country) Witch Hunt for evil politics, but the R’s are now fighting back like never before,” Mr. Trump says across several tweets. “There is so much GUILT by Democrats/Clinton, and now the facts are pouring out.DO SOMETHING!”
He did not specify who should take such action, though critics have accused him of trying to improperly sway the inquiries.
In a final tweet on the subject, Mr. Trump suggests that Russia’s re-emergence into the conversation is no accident.
“All of this ‘ Russia’ talk right when the Republicans are making their big push for historic Tax Cuts & Reform. Is this coincidental? NOT!”
On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers are scheduled to release a tax cut bill being pushed by the GOP law makers and Mr. Trump.
On Sunday talk shows, Republicans rallied around Mr. Trump and questioned how CNN could have received information about secret grand jury proceedings.
“There are very, very strict laws on grand jury secrecy, so depending on who leaked this to CNN, that’s a criminal violation, potentially,” New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican and longtime friend of Mr. Trump’s, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. “For us to have confidence in this process, we’ve got to make sure that the grand jury process remains confidential, remains secret, so that the special counsel can work effectively to be able to get to the bottom of all that he’s looking into.”
The first criminal charges in the intensifying probe led by Mr. Mueller reportedly are sealed under orders from a federal judge and the identity of a person or persons facing charges hasn’t been revealed.
One of two former top strategists for the Trump campaign is “likely” to face indictment as early as Monday, a senior Democrat said Sunday.
Rep. Adam Schiff, DCalif., ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, said a federal judge could unseal an indictment against either Paul Manafort, Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager, or Michael Flynn, who briefly served as Mr. Trump’s national security adviser in the White House.
Mr. Schiff’s comments came amid intense speculation at the White House and on Capitol Hill over media reports that a federal grand jury in Washington has approved its first indictment in the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and whether members of Mr. Trump’s campaign actively colluded with Moscow.
Mr.Schiff, a former federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, said he was reacting to press reports and could not confirm the target or whether it involved Russia. “We haven’t been told who it is,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”
Representatives of Mr. Flynn and Mr. Manafort could not be reached for comment on Sunday, and some reports suggested other individuals might be the focus of the sealed indictment.