Rosenstein later appointed Robert Mueller to lead the investigation into ties between Trump's campaign and Russian Federation, which the president has repeatedly labeled a "witch hunt".
Robert Mueller, the special counsel named by the department to investigate the Russian Federation matter, is now examining whether Trump or others sought to obstruct the probe, a person familiar with the inquiry said on Thursday.
Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, sent out spokespeople and surrogates with a far-fetched cover story to explain the dismissal, and then told NBC's Lester Holt that the real reason for the firing was Comey's pursuit of the Russian Federation investigation.
Trump appeared to confirm Friday that he is under investigation for obstruction of justice and seemed to use a social media posting to criticize Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein.
That tweet came a day after The Washington Post reported that Mueller had expanded his probe to look into whether Trump himself tried to obstruct justice by allegedly pressing top intelligence officials to intervene in ongoing investigations.
CNN, however, referenced an unnamed "person familiar with Trump's tweet" who said the president was referring to news reports claiming he is under investigation for obstructing justice. "That combination of things I had never experienced before, but it led me to believe I gotta write it down and I gotta write it down in a detailed way", he said, adding, "I knew there might come a day where I might need a record to defend not just myself but the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and our integrity".
The rising criticism puts a new focus on the relationships between the president, special counsel and the Justice Department, especially as questions loom over whether Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will recuse himself from overseeing Mueller's probe. "Nice." And then: "You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history - led by some very bad and conflicted people!"
Airline passenger group says no to airline control of FAA
Opponents worry that the plan, which would require congressional approval, will give too much power to the airline industries. So, that begs the question, is this a tax shift or really a tax cut? "You can not assign safety to a private organization".
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a Democrat from California, said she is becoming "increasingly concerned" that Trump will terminate both Mueller and Rosenstein. The inquiries have yet to show evidence of collusion.
If Trump's goal is to limit Mueller's probe or force him out, Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona said this week, "that would be disastrous for him". In March, Attorney General Jeff Sessions himself had recused himself based on his being involved in the Trump presidential campaign.
Boente, however, was nominated by former President Barack Obama and his U.S. attorney's office has already been leading parts of the federal investigation. And it's up to him to decide how much to tell Rosenstein about the substance of the investigation itself.
Through a spokesman, Trump's personal attorney, Marc Kasowitz, blasted the Post's report, though he stopped short of denying it.
The Trump International Hotel, which opened last fall just down the street from the White House, took in revenue of about $20 million.
Moscow has denied any interference. The transition, a nonprofit structurally separate from the Trump campaign, continues to operate with a small staff.
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