Trump tweet appears to confirm investigation

World Today

It’s yet another tweet that’s unleashed intense media speculation… a presidential post of less than 140 characters.

CGTN’s Jessica Stone reports on the latest.

U.S. President Donald Trump — tweeting this about reports he’s under investigation for possible obstruction of justice, related to the Russia probe:

The Tweet begs the question: Is Trump confirming he IS under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller for allegedly trying to interfere in the investigation that was being conducted by former FBI director James Comey, who he later fired?

A source close to Trump’s legal team tells CGTN “no.”

“The President was not confirming the investigation. He was referencing the Washington Post story from Wednesday night based on anonymous, illegal leaks.”

Another question raised by the tweet… Who is Trump referring to? Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is overseeing the Russia probe – and Special Counsel Robert Mueller reports to him.

As the investigation expands, that raises the possibility that Rosenstein may recuse himself from that role, since he wrote the memo justifying Comey’s firing.

Adding to the intrigue, Rosenstein issued this sudden warning, late Thursday, reading in part:

“Americans should exercise caution before accepting as true any stories attributed to anonymous ‘officials,’ particularly when they do not identify the country… ” where the source originates.

A Department of Justice spokesperson declined to address what prompted the statement.

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence has now hired legal counsel to represent him in the Russia probe and there are media reports that the investigation has expanded to include the business dealings of White House adviser and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Kushner’s attorney said such a review would be “standard practice.”