Trump tells Sessions to stop Russia inquiry

DONALD TRUMP has called on his attorney general to end the investigation into Russian election meddling, once again ramping up the rhetoric on the inquiry overshadowing his presidency.

The US president also distanced himself from Paul Manafort, who is on trial for bank fraud and tax evasion, stating that they worked together only for a “very short time”. Mr Manafort was Mr Trump’s campaign manager for five months in 2016.

Mr Trump’s early-morning tweets came as the investigation by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, into Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential campaign was again in the headlines.

Mr Manafort appeared in court on Tuesday – the first time someone indicted by the Mueller inquiry has stood trial. It is being seen as a key early test for the investigation.

Mr Mueller was appointed to lead the investigation after Mr Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in May 2017. The FBI had been investigating the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia since before the election.

Mr Trump yesterday tweeted: “This is a terrible situation and attorney general Jeff Sessions should stop this rigged witch hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!”

Mr Trump later suggested that Mr Manafort was being “treated worse” than Al Capone, the mafia boss, despite not yet being convicted of a crime. Mr Manafort has been in jail ahead of the trial for alleged witness tampering.

Mr Trump has issued a series of escalating direct attacks on the special counsel in recent months.

The president has suggested Mr Mueller, who led the FBI from 2001 to 2013, has a conflict of interest on the Russia case and has picked lawyers who are politically biased.

Mr Mueller is looking into obstruction of justice claims and investigating contacts the Trump campaign had with Russian-linked figures before the 2016 vote. Others topics, such as Russian hacking, are also being investigated.

Mr Sessions has recused himself from the Russia inquiry, to the fury of the president, meaning his number two, Rod Rosenstein, oversees the investigation. That means Mr Sessions is unlikely to be able to act on the president’s demand at present.

Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trump’s lawyer, later said: “We believe that the investigation should be brought to a close. … Put up or shut up, what do you got?”

Sarah Sanders, the White House press secretary, later said of Mr Trump’s call for the Russia inquiry to be closed: “It’s not an order, it’s the president’s opinion.”