Trump panics over Russia investigation

Donald Trump on Wednesday has called on his Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, to fire the lawyer investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russian state during the 2016 presidential election. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has been investigating possible collusion since the firing of James Comey last year. The comments came in a series of tweets, in which he stated that "Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country further."

He went on to say that the 17 members of Mueller's team are "Angry Democrats" and a "disgrace to the USA!" This is factually incorrect; while 13 members are or have been registered Democrats, Mueller himself has always been a Republican and was the director of the FBI during the George W Bush administration.

This latest outburst could indicate Mueller's probe is getting close to obtaining evidence of collusion that could result in the president's impeachment. It is clear that the evident outright hostility towards the Attorney General and the Special Counsel shows Trump is very nervous about what it may entail.

The president's lawyers have been quick to deny that Donald Trump's comments were official orders to Sessions, despite such a clear opinion makes it clear what Trump wants him to do. Rudolph Giuliani said " It's not a call to action. He's expressing his opinion, but he's not talking of his special powers he has".

Despite all of this, Sessions cannot fire Mueller, having recused himself from the investigation. That power falls to the Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, who is deeply unpopular among Trumpist members of congress, with articles of impeachment introduced against him in the House earlier this week. They are highly unlikely to amount to anything, considering the bipartisan support for Mueller's inquiry, but it shows the amounting hostility against the probe. Trump may yet have his way.