President Donald Trump called Wednesday for his attorney general to immediately end special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, prompting critics to charge the president is guilty of obstructing justice. In a Wednesday morning tweetstorm, Trump wrote, “This 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.” Congressmember Adam Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, responded, “This is an attempt to obstruct justice hiding in plain sight. America must never accept it.” At the White House, senior administration officials claimed Trump was merely expressing an opinion. This is White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders: “Look, the president is not obstructing; he’s fighting back. The president is stating his opinion, he’s stating it clearly, and he’s certainly expressing the frustration that he has with the level of corruption that we’ve seen from people like Jim Comey, Peter Strzok, Andrew McCabe.”