Trump has repeatedly labelled the probe an “illegal witch hunt” and accused Mueller Monday of forcing witnesses to make up lies damaging to the president.
“Robert Mueller… and his out of control band of Angry Democrats, don’t want the truth, they only want lies. The truth is very bad for their mission!” Trump tweeted.
Witness tampering via Twitter
The president compared Cohen with Stone, who is also being investigated by Mueller over his possible role in colluding with the Russians during the campaign.
In an ABC News interview on Sunday, Stone, a veteran Republican political consultant, denied any impropriety and said he would never give evidence against Trump, with whom he has worked for four decades.
Trump tweeted that Stone’s comments showed “he will not be forced by a rogue and out of control prosecutor to make up lies and stories about ‘President Trump.'”
“Nice to know that some people still have ‘guts!'” he said.
Legal experts said Trump was empowering the obstruction of justice case against him by using the power of his position to influence witnesses.
“This is genuinely looking like witness tampering…. The fact it’s done out in the open is no defense,” said Neal Katyal, a veteran constitutional lawyer and former acting solicitor general of the Department of Justice.