WASHINGTON — With the Russia probe moving closer to Donald Trump himself, the president appears to long for the simpler times of last year’s presidential campaign, when he didn’t have to shoulder the nation's scrutiny on his own.
“Why is that Hillary Clintons family and Dems dealings with Russia are not looked at, but my non-dealings are?” President Trump tweeted Thursday, after the Washington Post and later NBC News reported that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating whether the president attempted to obstruct justice in the FBI's investigation.
“Crooked H destroyed phones w/ hammer, 'bleached' emails, & had husband meet w/AG days before she was cleared- & they talk about obstruction?” Trump added.
Furthering the sense of 2016 déjà vu, a Clinton campaign Twitter account dedicated to "setting the facts straight," responded to one of the president's tweets with a "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" GIF and a series of question marks.
The account had not tweeted since November 7.
In response to reports that Trump is facing a criminal investigation, Mark Corallo, spokesman for Trump's personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, said in a statement, "The FBI leak of information regarding the president is outrageous, inexcusable, and illegal."
On Friday morning, Trump tweeted that there's no proof he has done anything wrong, despite months of hearings and investigations.
Meanwhile, Trump has revived attacks on his general election opponent multiple times since taking office.
In late March, as the House Intelligence Committee was thrown into turmoil after it was revealed that chairman Devin Nunes appeared to have coordinated with the White House he was supposed to be overseeing, Trump asked a similar question about Clinton.
“Why isn't the House Intelligence Committee looking into the Bill & Hillary deal that allowed big Uranium to go to Russia,” he tweeted in March, adding in a second message, “Trump Russia story is a hoax.”
Related: Trump Decries ‘Witch Hunt’ After Report That Mueller Is Investigating Him
And in February, three days after former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn resigned and two days after The New York Times ran a blockbuster story about Trump campaign aides reported ties to Russia, the president used a news conference to try to divert attention to his old foe.
“We had Hillary Clinton try and do a reset. We had Hillary Clinton give Russia 20 percent of the uranium in our country,” he said, repeating a statement Politifact rated “mostly false.” "Nobody talks about that."
"By the way, it would be great if we could get along with Russia, just so you understand that. Now tomorrow, you’ll say ‘Donald Trump wants to get along with Russia, this is terrible.’ It’s not terrible; it’s good,” Trump added.
