President Donald Trump, in a furious Friday morning message, said he is being investigated for his role in firing former FBI Director James Comey and seemed to accuse the deputy attorney general of overseeing a "witch hunt" against him.
"I
am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told
me to fire the FBI Director!" Trump said on Twitter, calling the probe
into him a "Witch Hunt."
A person who has
spoken to Trump within the last 24 hours told CNN "the man" in the tweet
is Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who wrote a memo recommending Comey's firing and approved the appointment of a special counsel to look into Russian election meddling.
Trump
has been growing increasingly agitated with Rosenstein over the last
day or two in private White House meetings and in conversations with
friends, multiple people have told CNN.
It was not clear if Trump's tweet was based on news reports or if the White House had been given official notice.
Trump ignored shouted questions from reporters about the ongoing Russia controversy
as he departed the White House Friday for Miami. The questions included
whether he had confidence in Rosenstein, whether he plans to fire
special counsel Robert Mueller and how he knows he's under investigation
by the FBI.
Sarah Huckabee
Sanders, the deputy White House press secretary, referred questions
about Trump's tweet to the President's private attorney, Marc Kasowitz.
Probe moving closer to Trump
Trump's
tweet Friday reflected the first official confirmation that he is being
investigated by the special counsel for the reasons he fired Comey last
month. Trump conceded in an interview after the episode that he was thinking about the Russia controversy when he made that decision.
Earlier
this week, the investigation led by Mueller appeared to move closer to
Trump. The Washington Post reported this week that Mueller is investigating whether Trump attempted to obstruct justice when he suggested Comey drop an FBI investigation into Michael Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, as well as when he fired Comey.
Investigators
in Mueller's office are set to interview Director of National
Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Adm. Mike
Rogers, a source familiar with the matter has told CNN. Reports have alleged that Trump asked both men to publicly quash the credibility of the Russia investigation.
Trump
demonstrated Friday morning that the Russia probe continues to consume
his attention, tweeting a stream of messages decrying the controversy.
"After
7 months of investigations & committee hearings about my 'collusion
with the Russians,' nobody has been able to show any proof. Sad!" he
wrote. "Despite the phony Witch Hunt going on in America, the economic
& jobs numbers are great. Regulations way down, jobs and enthusiasm
way up!"
'A political fight'
A White House official said Friday's tweetstorm
is a sign Trump is "taking matters into his own hands" -- the latest
example of how he thinks he is the best person to deliver his message.
White House aides have been instructed to not talk about Russia investigation, but that doesn't apply to the President.
He
has decided -- after consulting with a small circle of advisers in
multiple meetings over the last few days -- that "this is a political
fight and he's going to fight it," the official said.
The official said the President does believe he's under investigation for obstruction as he indicated himself on Twitter.
He's
been advised of the legal ramifications from making these presidential
statements on Twitter, but he and at least a few advisers have come to
believe the political fight is more urgent. The legal one will come
later.
"He's driving this," the
White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss
West Wing internal deliberations.
Friday's
tweets have taken other aides across the White House by surprise. But
it's part of the President's mindset that he's under siege and he's
going to fight like he always has
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