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‘Inappropriate’: Trump slammed by both parties for urging Sessions to end Russia probe

"This is an attempt to obstruct justice hiding in plain sight. America must never accept it." — Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat.

President Donald Trump, left, sits with Attorney General Jeff Sessions during the FBI National Academy graduation ceremony in Quantico, Va. on Dec. 15, 2017.
President Donald Trump, left, sits with Attorney General Jeff Sessions during the FBI National Academy graduation ceremony in Quantico, Va. on Dec. 15, 2017.Read moreAP File Photo

For what appears to be the first time, President Trump is publicly calling on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russia's attack on the 2016 election.

On Twitter Wednesday morning, Trump wrote that Sessions "should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further."

The call to end the Russia probe was just one of a series of tweets that appeared more focused on Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman who is currently on trial on tax evasions and fraud charges. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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So far, the Justice Department has not responded to the president's comments. Mueller's team reports to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein due to Sessions' decision to recuse himself from any investigation into Russian meddling during the 2016 president campaign. That recusal came after Sessions made several misstatements over his own contact with Russians while serving as a surrogate for the Trump campaign.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters Trump's comments weren't an order to the Justice Department and denied that the president was attempting to obstruct Mueller's investigation.

"It's not an order, it's the president's opinion," Sanders said. "The president is not obstructing, he's fighting back."

Two of Trump's lawyers, Jay Sekulow and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, attempted to downplay the president's comments to the Washington Post. Sekulow told the newspaper that Trump "has issued no order or direction to the Department of Justice on this," while Giuliani said it's well-known that the president "uses tweets to express his opinion."

The president's call to end Mueller's investigation, which just last month drew 12 new indictments, was swiftly met with criticism from both Democrats and Republicans.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, called President Trump's tweet an attempt to obstruct justice.

"The President of the United States just called on his Attorney General to put an end to an investigation in which the President, his family and campaign may be implicated," Schiff wrote on Twitter. "This is an attempt to obstruct justice hiding in plain sight. America must never accept it."

Rep. Ryan Costello, a Republican from Chester County who supports legislation to protect Mueller's investigation, said the president's tweet "undermines the integrity of the investigation. I think it's a legitimate investigation," Costello said on CNN before echoing the comments of his colleague, Rep. Trey Gowdy (R., S.C.). "If you're innocent, act like you're innocent. Don't do this stuff day after day."

"I think it is entirely inappropriate and intemperate," Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) said of Trump's request.

"It's hard to separate signal from noise when it comes to Trump's reactions to the Mueller probe. But the tweet this morning is an escalation from what we've seen from this President before," wrote CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza. "And we should all be paying very close attention to what happens next."