President Donald Trump bluntly declared his attorney general should terminate 鈥渞ight now鈥� the federal probe into the campaign that took him to the White House, a newly fervent attack on the special counsel investigation that could imperil his presidency. Trump also assailed the trial, just underway, of his former campaign chairman by the special counsel鈥檚 team

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders scrambled to explain that Trump鈥檚 tweet Wednesday was 鈥渘ot an order鈥� and the president was not directing his attorney general to do anything.

鈥淚t鈥檚 the president鈥檚 opinion,鈥� she said.

Russian Collusion with the Trump Campaign, one of the most successful in history, is a TOTAL HOAX. The Democrats paid for the phony and discredited Dossier which was, along with Comey, McCabe, Strzok and his lover, the lovely Lisa Page, used to begin the Witch Hunt. Disgraceful!

鈥� Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)

But Trump鈥檚 early morning tweetstorm again raised the spectre that he could try to more directly bring special counsel Robert Mueller鈥檚 Russia-Trump election-collusion probe to a premature end. And it revived the idea that the president鈥檚 tweets themselves might be used as evidence that he is attempting to obstruct justice.

Meanwhile, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said negotiations are continuing to have Trump sit down for questions from Mueller, though the lawyer said, 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to give you a lot of hope that it鈥檚 going to happen.鈥� He said both sides had exchanged proposals for conditions for such an interview, 鈥渁nd yesterday we got a letter back from them and now we鈥檙e in the process of responding.鈥�

Trump has raged privately in recent days that both the forces of government and the media are trying to undermine him. That includes trumped-up charges against his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and distorting the outcome of the Helsinki summit to make it appear he was beholden to Russia, according to two Republicans close to the White House not authorized to speak about private conversations.

Trump was closely monitoring news coverage of the Manafort proceedings, which provoked the spate of incendiary tweets, according to the two Republicans and two White House officials.

鈥淭he president鈥檚 not obstructing, he鈥檚 fighting back,鈥� said Sanders, dismissing the idea Trump鈥檚 tweets could be tantamount to obstruction of justice.

The most inflammatory of Trump鈥檚 tweets said, 鈥淭his is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!鈥�

The president鈥檚 anger came the day after the start of the trial of Manafort, who is facing federal charges of bank fraud and tax evasion. And while Mueller did not bring any election-related charges against Manafort, the spectre of the Russian investigation is hanging over the Alexandria, Virginia, courthouse. And Trump鈥檚 White House.

鈥淧aul Manafort worked for Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole and many other highly prominent and respected political leaders,鈥� Trump tweeted. 鈥淗e worked for me for a very short time. Why didn鈥檛 government tell me that he was under investigation. These old charges have nothing to do with Collusion - a Hoax!鈥�

Later the president invoked one of the nation鈥檚 most notorious criminals, 1920s gangster Al Capone, and posed the question 鈥渨ho was treated worse鈥� while airing his grievance about Manafort being held in solitary confinement ahead of a conviction. Manafort is in detention after having his bail revoked because of allegations that he was attempting to tamper with witnesses in his case. Federal prosecutors revealed last month that he was afforded unusual privileges while in detention.

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Trump has spent more than a year trying to distance himself from his one-time top political aide, and to minimize the role Manafort played in his campaign. Trump鈥檚 protestations aside, Manafort worked on the campaign during a critical six-month period in 2016, during which he led the effort to ensure Trump won the Republican nomination. He oversaw the early days of the general election effort.

Sanders said Trump wants Mueller鈥檚 investigation concluded swiftly without intervention, though Trump has publicly mused as recently as May about interfering in the Department of Justice鈥檚 oversight of the probe. 鈥淎t some point I will have no choice but to use the powers granted to the Presidency and get involved!鈥� he tweeted then.

Trump has repeatedly belittled the probe as 鈥渁 hoax,鈥� as those close to him suggest he feels that any talk of Russian interference tarnishes his electoral victory and delegitimizes his presidency.

One of the president鈥檚 confidants deemed Trump in 鈥渁 dark place,鈥� seething about the longlasting probe and the media鈥檚 depiction of his White House under siege. Though long antagonistic toward the press, Trump鈥檚 anger toward the media has only grown over the past month, as he has berated coverage of his Singapore and Helsinki summits, the possible prosecutorial co-operation of his former legal 鈥渇ixer鈥� Michael Cohen and the Mueller probe.

After complaining about the tough questions he received from American reporters in Finland, Trump has largely steered clear of the mainstream media, instead opting for safer spaces like an interview with ally Rush Limbaugh this week. From the White House briefing room podium on Wednesday, Sanders declined to denounce the harassment of a CNN reporter during a Trump rally in Florida on Tuesday.

The president鈥檚 social media outburst renewed discussion of the significance of his tweets.

Rudy Giuliani, the president鈥檚 lawyer, stressed that Trump was just issuing an opinion, though he also said the White House believes 鈥渢he investigation should be brought to a close.鈥�

鈥淚 guess, if we were playing poker 鈥� we鈥檙e not 鈥� put up or shut up, what do you got?鈥� Giuliani said. 鈥淲e have every reason to believe they don鈥檛 have anything.鈥�

When pressed by reporters on how she tells the difference between a presidential order or an opinion, Sanders said Trump makes his intentions 鈥減retty clear.鈥�

But the line between registering an opinion or governing by tweet has bedeviled the White House from the start, even when former press secretary Sean Spicer declared tweets could be official White House statements. Earlier this year, Trump blindsided the Defence Department when he tweeted out a transgender ban for the military, prompting the Pentagon to slow walk the program.

Mueller already is interested in some of Trump鈥檚 tweets to the extent they raise obstruction of justice concerns. Though experts believe obstruction by tweet is possible, prosecutors have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a particular act got in the way of an investigation and that the person who did it intended to obstruct.

The president鈥檚 tweets on Wednesday were greeted warily on Capitol Hill, with most lawmakers, regardless of party, urging Trump to let the probe run its course.

No. 3 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota said, 鈥淭he idea that they should truncate it doesn鈥檛 make sense to me.鈥� Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut went much further, declaring. There is now highly credible evidence that the president of the United States is committing obstruction of justice in real time, right before our eyes.鈥�

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Associated Press writer Mark Sherman contributed reporting.

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Jonathan Lemire And Zeke Miller, The Associated Press

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