With his former campaign manager on trial across the Potomac River for tax and bank fraud, President Donald Trump called on the U.S. Attorney General to end the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 elections, taking to Twitter to again denounce the investigation into any possible links between Moscow and his campaign.
"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," the President said in a series of posts on Twitter.
Tweeting from the White House, Mr. Trump compared the legal situation of Manafort to that of legendary Chicago gangster Al Capone, who was chased for years by the feds, before ultimately being convicted on tax evasion charges.
It was just one of a series of tweets from the President on Wednesday, in which he again denounced the Russia investigation, being led by former FBI Director Robert Mueller.
At the White House, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders defended the President's tweets, saying it was not a directive to the Attorney General.
"It's not an order, it's the President's opinion," said Sanders, who added the President has been 'crystal clear' about his feelings about the Mueller investigation.
"Certainly, the President has been clear," Sanders added, "he thinks Paul Manafort has been treated unfairly."
On Capitol Hill, Democrats had a much different take on Wednesday's tweets, as lawmakers said it was obvious what was going on with the President's call for Attorney General Sessions to end the Mueller probe.
"He's panicking," said Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA).
"How is this not obstruction of justice?" asked Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA).
"Obstruction in plain sight," said Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA).
"The trail of evidence regarding conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction of justice is leading closer to the President and people important to him," said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX).
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