President Donald Trump acknowledged Friday in a string of early-morning tweets that he’s under investigation for firing FBI Director James Comey last month.
“I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt,” Trump wrote.
I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2017
Trump was seemingly referring to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who wrote a memo outlining his concerns about Comey. The memo was initially cited by the president as his justification for the dismissal, though Trump later said he planned to fire Comey all along.
Special counsel Robert Mueller, who’s been tasked with determining whether the president obstructed justice by firing Comey amid the ongoing Russia investigation, reports directly to Rosenstein because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the matter. However, Rosenstein told a Senate panel this week that Mueller would have “sufficient independence” in the probe.