Amid a scattergun blast of tweets on Tuesday morning, Donald Trump demanded to know “” with an internal justice department investigation and the head of that department, attorney general Jeff Sessions, once again for recusing himself from the Russia investigation.
The internal justice department investigation is expected to criticize the FBI and its handling of the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state, an investigation which dominated Clinton’s 2016 presidential election campaign against Trump.
The president tweeted: “What is taking so long with the Inspector General’s Report on Crooked Hillary and Slippery James Comey. Numerous delays. Hope Report is not being changed and made weaker! There are so many horrible things to tell, the public has the right to know. Transparency!”
Trump has repeatedly denied collusion, criticized the FBI’s handling of the Russia investigation and said the focus should be on the Clinton email case.
He subsequently tweeted: “The Russian Witch Hunt Hoax continues, all because Jeff Sessions didn’t tell me he was going to recuse himself … I would have quickly picked someone else. So much time and money wasted, so many lives ruined … and Sessions knew better than most that there was No Collusion!”
Sessions, a former Alabama senator who was an early supporter of Trump’s campaign for the White House recused himself from the investigation of Russian election interference and alleged collusion between Trump aides and Moscow after it became clear he had misled Congress about conversations with the then Russian ambassador.
Trump has repeatedly criticised his attorney general, but not fired him. Nor has he moved against deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein, who appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel for the Russia investigation after Trump fired Comey last May.
Trump told media and Russian diplomats he fired Comey because of the Russia investigation, claims which have attracted attention as Mueller considers whether the president might be guilty of obstruction of justice. Last month, Trump insisted he fired Comey for other reasons.
Trump’s offensive against Mueller and the Russian investigation has recently included claims, by tweet and by his lawyer Rudy Giuliani, that the president has the power to pardon himself if he is indicted. Experts disputed this.
Trump also tweeted on Tuesday about his cancellation of a White House visit by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, over player protests during the playing of the national anthem. No Eagles player knelt during the anthem last season.