Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said Thursday that the new report about President Trump attempting to avert Attorney General Jeff Sessions from recusing himself from the Justice Department’s Russia probe “screams consciousness of guilt."
“As a former prosecutor, it is clear to me that the repeated attempts by @POTUS to influence the criminal investigation against him, such as this attempt to order AG Jeff Sessions to not recuse, screams CONSCIOUSNESS OF GUILT,” Lieu tweeted on Thursday evening.
As a former prosecutor, it is clear to me that the repeated attempts by @POTUS to influence the criminal investigation against him, such as this attempt to order AG Jeff Sessions to not recuse, screams CONSCIOUSNESS OF GUILT. https://t.co/xw5THATFMA— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) January 5, 2018
Lieu’s tweet was in reference to a New York Times report that said Trump directed White House counsel Don McGahn to stop Sessions from recusing himself.
Despite McGahn's efforts, Sessions recused himself anyway.
Trump was said to be outraged at Sessions’ decision to recuse himself and told White House staff that Sessions needed to protect him.
After Sessions’ recusal and former FBI Director James Comey's ouster from the agency in May, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed special counsel Robert Mueller to spearhead the probe looking into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign and possible collusion between Trump officials and the Russians.
Lieu has been an outspoken critic of Trump and has said he predicts additional indictments will result from Mueller’s probe and that Trump “should be scared” of Mueller.
