Republicans slam Trump for asking Sessions to close Russia probe
Trump says Attorney-General should stop probe, White House says it is not an order but an opinion
WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump appealed to Attorney-General Jeff Sessions to end an investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 election, drawing a rebuke from his fellow Republicans in Congress who said the probe must go on.
It was Mr Trump's most direct call for his top US law enforcement officer to shut down Special Counsel Robert Mueller's criminal investigation and Democrats promptly accused the President of trying to obstruct justice.
Mr Trump's remark coincided with the start of the trial this week of his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort on charges arising from Mr Mueller's inquiry.
In a series of tweets, Mr Trump called a "total hoax" the idea that his campaign worked with Moscow, which Mr Mueller is examining.
"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," he said.
In any case, Mr Sessions recused himself from the investigation in March last year and does not have the power to stop it.
The White House said the tweet was not an order to Mr Sessions and that Mr Trump was expressing his frustration with the length of the probe.
I don't think any effort to truncate that or somehow shut it down early is in the public's best interest. Republican Senator John Thune
"It is not an order. It is the President's opinion," White House spokesman Sarah Sanders told a news briefing.
She denied that Mr Trump was trying to obstruct the probe. "He is fighting back," she said.
Mr Trump's personal lawyer, Mr Rudy Giuliani, said Mr Trump was expressing an opinion long espoused by his team.
It is clear to me he is very worried about it and he wants to prevent it any way he can. Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein
MISTAKE
Some US lawmakers said shutting down the investigation early would be a mistake.
Six Republican senators going into a vote on Wednesday disapproved of Mr Trump's tweet calling for an end to the probe.
Said Republican Senator John Thune for South Dakota: "They ought to let them conclude their work. What they are doing is something that is important and we support, and I don't think any effort to truncate that or somehow shut it down early is in the public's best interest."
Republican Senator Orrin Hatch for Utah said he did not think Mr Sessions had the power to end the probe and it would be unwise to do so.
Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said after Mr Trump's tweet: "It is clear to me he is very worried about it and he wants to prevent it any way he can."
Some legal analysts said Wednesday's tweet alone was not enough to bring an obstruction of justice charge, but it could be used to establish a pattern of conduct revealing Mr Trump's intentions.
"It is a piece of evidence. It is part and parcel with the other 94 things the man has done that show obstruction of justice," said Mr Paul Rosenzweig, a former prosecutor who was part of a team that investigated former president Bill Clinton.
Professor Jens David Ohlin, a law professor at Cornell University, said the tweets would likely not be seen as an order to Mr Sessions, but as "Trump venting his continued frustration with the fact that he can't control the Russia investigation".
- REUTERS