While the Justice Department appointed Mueller to investigate Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election - and any "collusion" with the Trump campaign - his assignment also includes "any matters that arose or may arise" from the Russia probe.
Trump appeared to be a responding to a Washington Post report that special prosecutor Robert Mueller "is interviewing senior intelligence officials as part of a widening probe that now includes an examination of whether President Trump attempted to obstruct justice, officials said". Sessions called the matter an "appalling" set of lies, but he also refused to reveal contents of conversations he had with Trump that could have shed light on whether Trump meant to obstruct justice when he fired former FBI Director James Comey. Mr Comey told US Congress last week that he believed he was sacked "because of the Russian Federation investigation".
In an off-camera 18-minute gaggle held Thursday, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders seemed to infer that she was barred from the discussing the tweets President Trump fired off earlier that morning. "Nice", the President said.
Shortly after The Post report was posted, a spokesman for Trump's personal lawyer said: "The FBI leak of information regarding the President is outrageous, inexcusable and illegal". It was not known whether the Federal Bureau of Investigation was the source of the information.
The Post report only further embroils Trump and his presidency in legal problems that also feature lawsuits from the District of Columbia and Maryland, as well as almost 200 congressional Democrats, over his business holdings and foreign governments.
The Senate intelligence committee has also interviewed Johnson in connection with its investigation of Russian activities during last year's election campaign.
Ohio man set to appear in court in slayings of 3 women
Brinkman allegedly smothered Kylie and Taylor Pifer and allegedly used a telephone cord to strangle Kylie Pifer, Gilligan said. The man facing murder charges in five Northeast Ohio killings will appear in court for the first time Thursday morning.
The leaders of the Senate Intelligence committee said in a statement issued Wednesday that they "look forward to future engagements" with Robert Mueller. The aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private.
"Should now be clear Mueller is the 'anti-Trump special counsel, '" Gingrich tweeted. Comey testified in a Senate hearing last week that he believed he was sacked "because of the Russian Federation investigation". When asked about a letter he wrote recommending firing Comey, Rosenstein said that Mueller could be looking into the decision-making process for the firing - and he was therefore "not at liberty to talk about that now".
Grassley on Tuesday stopped short of ruling out establishing a congressional investigation into the question of whether Trump obstructed justice. Dianne Feinstein, the panel's top Democrat.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says former FBI Director James Comey's acknowledgement that he had given memos of his conversations with President Donald Trump to a friend who leaked them to the media is "weird".
The letter said the investigation will also probe Comey's testimony that Loretta Lynch, as President Barack Obama's attorney general, had directed him to describe an FBI probe into Hillary Clinton's email practices as merely a "matter" and to avoid calling it an investigation. "It is my view that fully investigating the facts, circumstances, and rationale for Mr. Comey's removal will provide us the opportunity to do that on a cooperative, bipartisan basis", according to the letter.
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