This morning, Trump once again landed himself in hot water when he publicly demanded that Attorney General Jeff Sessions put an end to the ongoing special counsel investigation into the Trump camp’s possible collusion with Russia during the 2016 election, as well as obstruction of justice. Sessions, for his part, recused himself from overseeing the investigation in March of 2017, a legal necessity given his contacts with the Russian ambassador to the United States during the transition.
..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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 1, 2018
Adam Schiff (D-CA), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, took to Twitter to call the move exactly what it is.
The President of the United States just called on his Attorney General to put an end to an investigation in which the President, his family and campaign may be implicated.
This is an attempt to obstruct justice hiding in plain sight. America must never accept it. https://t.co/F8b6a0IGOh
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) August 1, 2018
Not only is the investigation not a “witch hunt,” as Trump claims on a daily basis, but has actually resulted in a staggering 191 criminal charges against 35 defendants. Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is on trial this week, which may further exacerbate the president’s fears– and result in yet more Twitter rants.
As special counsel Robert Mueller continues to bring those guilty of crimes against the United States to justice – and inch increasingly closer to the president – there is little doubt that Trump’s unhinged attacks, demands and blatant attempts to obstruct justice will continue unabated. While his base might buy his nonsense, the rest of the country does not.