WASHINGTON — President Trump lashed out on Thursday, saying he was the target of an unprecedented witch hunt, a day after the Justice Department appointed a special counsel to investigate ties between his presidential campaign and Russian officials.
In
a pair of early morning tweets, Mr. Trump cited, without evidence, what
he called the “illegal acts” committed by the administration of his
predecessor, Barack Obama, and the campaign of his former opponent,
Hillary Clinton — and said they never led to the appointment of a
special counsel.
“With
all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign &
Obama Administration, there was never a special councel appointed!” Mr. Trump wrote, misspelling counsel.
Moments later, Mr. Trump added, “This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!”
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The tweets, shortly before 8 a.m., were a stark contrast to his muted reaction to the announcement on Wednesday evening that Robert S. Mueller III, a former F.B.I. director, had been named to investigate ties between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.
In
a statement released by the White House, the president said: “As I have
stated many times, a thorough investigation will confirm what we
already know — there was no collusion between my campaign and any
foreign entity. I look forward to this matter concluding quickly.”
How
Mr. Trump should respond to the appointment was the subject of brief,
but lively debate in the Oval Office, several senior officials said,
with most of the president’s aides counseling a conciliatory tone. Mr.
Trump often takes his most combative stances early in the morning on
Twitter.
The
president is correct in his observation about the rarity of a special
counsel, though his references to the Clinton campaign and the Obama
administration may not bolster his case. There were multiple
congressional investigations of the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, and the
role played by Mrs. Clinton, then the secretary of state, and Mr. Obama.
It
is not the first time Mr. Trump has likened the questions about his
campaign and Russia to a witch hunt. In January, while still
president-elect, he said in an interview with The New York Times
that the persistent focus on Russia’s hacking of the American
presidential campaign was a witch hunt carried out by people bitter at
his victory over Mrs. Clinton.
Mr.
Trump’s sense of grievance over the Russia investigations had been
deepening even before the naming of a special counsel. During a commencement address
at the United States Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday, the president
abruptly diverted from his uplifting theme to complain that “no
politician in history” had been treated “more unfairly” than him.
“You
will find that things are not always fair,” he told the graduates.
“Look at the way I’ve been treated lately, especially by the media. No
politician in history — and I say this with great surety — has been
treated worse or more unfairly.”
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