By Greg Price
Staff Writer
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Special counsel Robert Mueller is reportedly investigating several of President Donald Trump's tweet attacks on former FBI director James Comey and Attorney General Jeff Sessions as apparent attempts to obstruct justice, or even pressure the top Justice Department officials, in the probe of Russia's interference during the 2016 election.
Mueller wants to question Trump about the tweets, The New York Times reported Thursday, citing three unnamed sources briefed on the matter. The special counsel is also looking into false statements made by the White House as well as Trump's private meetings with Comey and Sessions.
Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, pushed back on allegations of any sort of obstruction and claimed if one were to do so, they would do so in secret.
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"If you're going to obstruct justice, you do it quietly and secretly, not in public," Giuliani told The Times.
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Still, Mueller's team is looking into several specific tweets at key moments.
Back in late July of last year, Trump took to Twitter to blast Sessions as "weak" and for not investigating Hillary Clinton's "crimes" while deriding former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe.
"Attorney General Jeff Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes (where are E-mails & DNC server) & Intel leakers!" Trump tweeted July 25, 2017.
A day later, Trump followed up with a pair of messages about McCabe, stating: "Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation but got.... big dollars ($700,000) for his wife's political run from Hillary Clinton and her representatives. Drain the Swamp!"
Reports have indicated Trump wanted to fire Sessions but was ultimately convinced not to. Still, Trump has often claimed he would never have appointed the former Alabama senator had he known Sessions would recuse himself from the Russian investigation.
Later, on October 18, Trump unloaded a trio of tweets against Comey.
"Wow, FBI confirms report that James Comey drafted letter exonerating Crooked Hillary Clinton long before investigation was complete. Many…people not interviewed, including Clinton herself. Comey stated under oath that he didn't do this-obviously a fix? Where is Justice Dept?," Trump said.
The president added: "As it has turned out, James Comey lied and leaked and totally protected Hillary Clinton. He was the best thing that ever happened to her!"
Twelve days after those three messages, Mueller announced charges against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and campaign adviser Rick Gates.
Comey has also been a frequent target of Trump's. And during testimony in June 2017, he claimed Trump had asked if he could "let go" of former national security adviser Michael Flynn as the Russia investigation continued.
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