WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged Attorney General Jeff Sessions to end the ongoing Russia probe in an escalation of attacks against the wide-ranging inquiry.
In a series of tweets, Trump said Sessions should stop the probe led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, which he labeled a "Rigged Witch Hunt."
The attack came as former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort, who was indicted by Mueller last fall, is facing trial for bank and tax fraud for the second day in the federal court in the state of Virginia.
Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe in March 2017.
Mueller is looking into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and any potential collusion between the Trump campaign and Moscow, as well as other matters that may arise from the investigation.
The special counsel has indicted or secured guilty pleas from 32 people, including several former Trump campaign aides and three companies since he began leading the probe from May 2017.
Trump repeated his attacks against the probe on Wednesday, calling it "a hoax," claiming that Mueller is "totally conflicted" and what his team is doing is "a disgrace" to the country.
The president tried again to distance himself from Manafort, who joined the Trump campaign team in March 2016 and spent about two months working as campaign chairman before resigning over exposure of his lobbying work for the Ukrainian government.
"Paul Manafort worked for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other highly prominent and respected political leaders," Trump said in another tweet. "He worked for me for a very short time."
