United States President Donald Trump on Thursday claimed he was undergoing “presidential harassment” hours before the release of the special counsel’s report on Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation had looked into ties between Trump’s campaign officials and Russia.
Trump tweeted, “The Greatest Political Hoax of all time! Crimes were committed by Crooked, Dirty Cops and DNC/The Democrats.”
Trump’s mention of the word “crooked” is an apparent reference to his former presidential election rival Hillary Clinton and he uses “dirty cops” to refer to members of Mueller’s team, AFP reported.
Attorney General William Barr is expected to release a redacted version of the 400-page report, which will be submitted to Congress before going public.
The Mueller investigation also looked into other ways Russia may have influenced the 2016 presidential polls. Russia is also accused of attempting to meddle in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Trump had refuted allegations that he colluded with Russia or that he obstructed justice by firing Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey. However, several former Trump associates, including his campaign chairman Paul Manafort, former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and personal lawyer Michael Cohen, are facing charges.
Barr, a Trump appointee, had said in March that the investigation had not found any evidence that President Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016 had colluded with the Russian government. However, Mueller had not drawn any conclusions on whether Trump illegally obstructed justice, so Barr had decided to set aside the evidence.
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