President Donald Trump has said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe is an attempt to drag down his poll numbers and hurt Republicans in the midterms.
‘While my (our) poll numbers are good, with the Economy being the best ever, if it weren’t for the Rigged Russian Witch Hunt, they would be 25 points higher!’ Trump tweeted from the White House on Saturday.
‘Highly conflicted Bob Mueller & the 17 Angry Democrats are using this Phony issue to hurt us in the Midterms. No Collusion!’
In the latest Rasmussen Poll, Trump’s approval rating was 47 per cent, versus 51 per cent who said they disapproved of his performance as President.
Trump has said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe is an attempt to drag down his poll numbers and hurt Republicans in the midterms
That rating is nearly identical to Barack Obama’s approval rating at the same point in his first term, which was 47 per cent approval to 52 per cent disapproval.
As the November midterms approach, Democrats hold a slight edge in the Congressional generic ballot – a poll that asks citizens whether they would vote for a Democrat or a Republican for the House if the election were held today.
The latest RCP average shows Democrats with an 8.3-point lead in recent generic ballot polls.
Republicans down the ballot are hoping to capitalize in the midterms on the strong economic growth under the Trump administration.
Mueller was appointed in May of 2017 to investigate any ‘links/cooperation’ between the Trump campaign and the Russian government.
Recent weeks have brought a slew of news out of the investigation, most recently the plea deal struck by former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort to avoid a second trial.
Mueller (above) was appointed in May of 2017 to investigate any ‘links/cooperation’ between the Trump campaign and the Russian government
So far, though, no one had been charged or convicted of colluding with a foreign government to impact the 2016 election.
It is not the first time that Trump has accused Mueller of attempting to interfere with the midterms.
‘Is this Phony Witch Hunt going to go on even longer so it wrongfully impacts the Mid-Term Elections, which is what the Democrats always intended? Republicans better get tough and smart before it is too late!’ he tweeted in May.
Justice Department employees are forbidden from interfering in elections, and typically refrain from making any major investigative announcements with political ramifications in the weeks leading up to an election.
However, the policy is more of a tradition than a hard and fast rule, leaving open the possibility of an ‘October surprise’ from Mueller.
Later on Saturday evening, Trump chastised Republicans for getting ‘played like a fiddle’ on the issue of border security.
‘When will Republican leadership learn that they are being played like a fiddle by the Democrats on Border Security and Building the Wall?’ wrote Trump.
‘Without Borders, we don’t have a country. With Open Borders, which the Democrats want, we have nothing but crime! Finish the Wall!’
Although Trump had previously threatened a government shutdown over wall funding ahead of the midterms, Congress reached a deal on Thursday to fund the government through December 7.
The deal bypasses the October 1 deadline that would have allowed Trump to force a vote on border security before the midterms.