WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump unleashed a series of attacks on Friday on US Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team, with the prosecutor expected to release documents that could shed new light in the Russia probe.

Repeating his regular dismissal of the probe as a “total witch hunt,” Trump accused Mueller of political bias in an early morning tweetstorm alleging that the prosecutor had coerced false testimony from witnesses.

He complained that investigators were ignoring Democrats’ dealings with Russians and suggested his own deputy attorney general was “totally conflicted.” Trump’s tweets came with Mueller’s team expected to file court documents related to two pivotal figures in their probe into possible collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia to swing the 2016 election: former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and the president’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen.

“Robert Mueller and Leakin’ Lyin’ James Comey are Best Friends, just one of many Mueller Conflicts of Interest,” Trump tweeted, referring to the former FBI chief he sacked while Comey was leading the Russia probe.

Trump has repeatedly disparaged the 19-month-old investigation but ratcheted up his attacks as the probe in recent weeks appeared to leave him increasingly under pressure.

Among five tweets, Trump also attacked Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who was in charge of the probe until Trump in November named Matthew Whitaker, who had criticised Mueller’s investigation, as acting attorney general.

Trump asked whether Rosenstein isn’t “totally conflicted,” while also singling out a member of Mueller’s team, Andrew Weissmann, who has been involved in the prosecution against Paul Manafort.

On Friday, the special counsel’s team was expected to provide court with details of Manafort’s lying to investigators.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2018