Trump hits out at Mueller over Russia probe report, calls it a 'made-up fraud'

US President Donald Trump on Saturday (local time) hit out at special counsel Robert Mueller over his report on alleged Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election, terming it a "made-up fraud". In a series of tweets, Trump reiterated that he did not read the report while asserting that he has "every right to do so". He once again denied any collusion and termed the move by the Democrats a "total waste of time".

"I have not read the Mueller Report yet, even though I have every right to do so. Only know the conclusions, and on the big one, No Collusion. Likewise, recommendations made to our great A.G. who found No Obstruction. 13 Angry Trump hating Dems (later brought to 18) given two years and $30 million, and they found No Collusion, No Obstruction. But the Democrats, no matter what we give them, will NEVER be satisfied. A total waste of time," he wrote on the micro-blogging site. In a veiled jibe at Mueller, Trump said that such a thing should not happen with other US Presidents in the future.

"So, let's get this straight! There was No Collusion and in fact the Phony Dossier was a Con Job that was paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC. So the 13 Angry Democrats were investigating an event that never happened and that was in fact a made up Fraud. I just fought back against something I knew never existed, Collusion with Russia (so ridiculous!) - No Obstruction. This Russia Hoax must never happen to another President, and Law Enforcement must find out, HOW DID IT START?" read another tweet by the US President. Trump has been a vocal critic of Mueller's investigation into possible links between the Russian government and his campaign and repeatedly called it a "witch hunt" and "unnecessary".

On March 24, Attorney General William Barr submitted his principal conclusions from Mueller's 22-month long investigation into alleged Russia interference in the 2016 elections to the US Congress. While Mueller stated that Trump and his associates did not conspire with Russians, he has not completely exonerated the US President. The special counsel did not "make a traditional prosecutorial judgment" in his report, according to Barr.

While Trump and top Republican leaders welcomed Barr's summary of the Mueller report, several Democratic leaders, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have alleged discrepancies and called for transparency. In the Mueller inquiry, 500 witnesses were interviewed and more than 3,500 subpoenas and warrants were obtained of various types. As many as 13 requests to foreign governments for evidence were also made as part of the massive investigation.

While there are no further indictments, the probe saw charges being filed against 37 defendants, seven guilty pleas and one conviction. Meanwhile, Barr had said that process to release further information from Mueller's report began at the Department of Justice. He also added that Mueller would be involved in the scrubbing of the report for releasing it to the public. (ANI)

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