Donald Trump has announced he will instruct the Department of Justice to investigate whether his 2016 presidential campaign was spied on by the FBI for political purposes – and whether the Obama administration was behind it.
The declaration came after a series of Tweets on Sunday revealed his increasing frustration with the Robert Mueller investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.
He lashed out at “the World’s most expensive Witch Hunt" and also dismissed a new report in the New York Times that said an emissary representing the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates offered help to Trump’s 2016 campaign.
I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 20, 2018
He tweeted: "I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!"
The New York Times and Washington Post reported on Friday that the the FBI sent an informant, an "American academic who teaches in Britain" to speak to several Trump campaign advisers about possible ties to Russia.
Mr Trump declared last week that if true the news would be a scandal "bigger than Watergate."
But Rudy Giuliani, Mr Trump’s lawyer, said neither he nor the president knew for certain if there was a campaign spy.
His demand for an investigation drew immediate criticism that he was breaking an unwritten rule, adhered to by successive administrations, that the FBI was allowed to work independently of political pressure.
"This is crossing a massive red line," tweeted Tommy Vietor, a former Obama spokesman. "Trump is forcing DOJ to conduct a politicized investigation – something he himself conceded he shouldn’t do. Someone in the Republican Party needs to stand up to this bull**** right now."
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Mr Trump’s latest criticism of Mr Mueller comes after New York Times reported that Donald Trump Jr met with private security contractor Erik Prince, the former head of Blackwater, George Nader, an emissary for princes in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and Joel Zamel, an Israeli social media specialist during the campaign.
The newspaper alleged that help was offered to the campaign in the hope of getting Mr Trump elected and suggested the scope of Mueller’s investigation was going to countries beyond Russia for the first time.
Under US law, it is illegal for foreign governments or individuals to be involved in an American elections. All those identified have denied any wrongdoing.
Responding on Twitter, the president said: "Things are really getting ridiculous. The Failing and Crooked New York Times has done a long & boring story indicating that the World’s most expensive Witch Hunt has found nothing on Russia & me so now they are looking at the rest of the World!"
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Mr Nader is said to have told Trump Jr. that the princes of Saudi Arabia and UAE were “eager” to help Trump win the White House.
“They pitched Mr. Trump Jr. on a social media platform or marketing strategy. He was not interested and that was the end of it,” Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Mr Trump Jr said in a statement.
Kathryn Ruemmler, a lawyer for Mr. Nader, said, “Mr. Nader has fully cooperated with the special counsel’s investigation and will continue to do so.”
Marc Mukasey, a lawyer for Mr Zamel, said on Saturday that neither his client "nor any of his related entities, had any involvement whatsoever in the US election campaign."
A spokesman for Mr Prince declined to comment.