The president’s tweet Saturday morning refers to the Russia investigation as a “Russian witch hunt” and asserts that there was “no collusion” and “no obstruction.”
His tweet comes after Republicans in Congress who supported the memo’s release said it would not undermine the special counsel investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible collusion by Trump associates.
“Nothing in the memo released today undercuts Mr. Mueller’s investigation,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Friday in a statement.
Michael Holahan/The Augusta Chronicle via AP, FILESouth Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks to a group of workers during a visit to the Savannah River Site and Savannah River National Laboratory near Jackson, S.C., Feb. 2, 2018.
Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina similarly said Friday in a tweet, “As I have said repeatedly, I also remain 100 percent confident in Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The contents of this memo do not – in any way – discredit his investigation.”
Mark Wilson/Getty Images, FILEHouse Benghazi Committee Chairman, Trey Gowdy, participates in a news conference with fellow Committee Republicans on Capitol Hill, June 28, 2016 in Washington, D.C.
Democrats and Republican Sen. John McCain meanwhile slammed the release of the memo.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the decision “to publicly release misleading allegations against the Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation is a shameful effort to discredit these institutions, undermine the Special Counsel’s ongoing investigation, and undercut congressional probes” related to Russia’s alleged election interference.
Matt Rourke/AP, FILERep. Adam Schiff, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, speaks at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Feb. 1, 2018.
McCain of Arizona said, “The latest attacks on the FBI and Department of Justice serve no American interests – no party’s, no president’s, only [Russian President Vladimir} Putin’s. The American people deserve to know all of the facts surrounding Russia’s ongoing efforts to subvert our democracy, which is why Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation must proceed unimpeded.”
Sourse: abcnews.go.com
