Trump tweets that Russia probe ‘destroyed,’ ‘devastated’ lives

By David M. Schwartzdschwar1@newsday.com schwartznewsNYMay 27, 2018

President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday that the investigation into Russia’s election interference has “destroyed” and “devastated” lives as he continued his assault on special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.

“Who’s going to give back the young and beautiful lives (and others) that have been devastated and destroyed by the phony Russia Collusion Witch Hunt?” Trump said on Twitter Sunday morning. “They journeyed down to Washington, D.C., with stars in their eyes and wanting to help our nation. . . . They went back home in tatters!”

Trump did not specify whom he was referring to. A number of former campaign aides have met with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators and racked up large legal bills, according to media reports.

Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election has also been looking at whether anyone in the Trump campaign worked with Russia.

Mueller has so far secured at least five guilty pleas, including from former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former campaign adviser George Papadopoulos and former campaign aide Rick Gates.

Also Sunday, Trump lawyer and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” said in response to a question by host Dana Bash that he no longer thinks the Mueller probe is legitimate.

“Not anymore. I did,” he said.

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He also said Trump has no plans to fire anyone to end the Mueller probe.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) defended the FBI, saying that law enforcement was right to investigate “certain individuals” with connections to Russia.

Rubio on ABC’s “This Week” argued the FBI was not initially investigating Trump’s presidential campaign, but was looking into these individuals.

“As far as what I have seen to date, it appears that there was an investigation not of the campaign, but of certain individuals who have a history that we should be suspicious of that predate the presidential campaign of 2015, 2016,” Rubio said.