28 June, 2017
Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller is investigating President Donald Trump for obstruction of justice, The Washington Post reported Wednesday evening.
Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy, a friend of the President, said earlier this week that Trump was considering firing Mueller, who has been appointed to investigate Russia's influence on the 2016 presidential election.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Mr Comey had presented no evidence to prove that Moscow meddled in the USA election, adding that Washington had tried to influence Russian elections "year after year", he said.
The Department of Justice appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel to oversee the Russian Federation probe shortly after Trump's decision to fire former FBI Director James Comey.
Gingrich, the former House speaker whose wife is seeking Senate approval to become the USA ambassador to the Vatican, continued to defend Trump Thursday morning.
Trump wrote in his letter firing Comey that the ousted FBI director had informed him on three separate occasions he was not under investigation.
Mr Comey told the Senate Intelligence Committee on 8 June he believed Mr Trump had directed him in February to drop an FBI probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn that was part of the broader Russian Federation investigation.
Trump said he fired Comey for poor performance, though he ealso reportedly told a group of Russian officials that the Comey dismissal would help get the Russia probe behind him. He is a good guy.
"Crooked H destroyed phones w/ hammer, "bleached" emails, & had husband meet w/AG days before she was cleared- & they talk about obstruction?"
Responding to claims about the investigation, Trump's personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz, told the Washington Post: "The FBI leak of information regarding the president is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal".
Some news organizations reported that Trump was considering firing Mueller in the wake of these revelations.
The latest White House crisis struck on the evening of Trump's 71st birthday, after a day in which he had won plaudits for his handling of the shooting of Republican Congressman Steve Scalise.
The emergence of the obstruction of justice inquiry may make it harder for Mr Trump to have Mr Mueller removed.
The US president has denied trying to influence the investigation, but has acknowledged in an interview that Russian Federation was on his mind when he dismissed Comey.
In the most famous presidential investigation, Watergate, Archibald Cox was appointed special prosecutor on May 18, 1973 - by June 5, Nixon was complaining about being attacked by Cox.
Mr Grassley's office said the letter was in response to a recent letter from Ms Feinstein requesting that the committee seeks details from senior Federal Bureau of Investigation leadership about Mr Comey's interactions with Mr Trump before he was sacked.
Comey said in a written statement before his testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week that he told Trump he was not personally under investigation. "Nice", Mr Trump wrote on Twitter, later repeating his accusation that the probe is a "witch hunt".
