Trump questions Mueller's Russia probe

Charleston [USA], August 22 (ANI): Continuing his tirade against special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation on alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, President Donald Trump hit out at the former, saying "where is the collusion".

Addressing a rally here in the run-up to November's midterm elections, Trump was quoted by CNN saying, "Fake news and the Russian witch hunt. We've got a whole big combination. Where is the collusion? You know they're still looking for collusion. Where is the collusion? Find us some collusion. We want to find the collusion."

Trump has been a vocal critic of Mueller's Russia probe and has repeatedly called it a "witch hunt" and "unnecessary." Mueller is currently investigating the possibility of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential poll and a possible collusion between Moscow and Trump's electoral campaign.

However, the US president remained silent on his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who was charged on eight counts of tax and bank fraud and personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who violated the financial law of Trump's campaign by arranging hush money payments for two women.

Earlier on Tuesday, a Virginia court found Manafort guilty on eight charges, including tax fraud. While the jury found Manafort guilty on five charges of filing false income tax returns, including for failing to report foreign bank accounts and on two counts of bank fraud, the judge declared a mistrial on the remaining 10 counts, including three counts of failing to report foreign bank accounts, five counts of bank fraud conspiracy and two counts of bank fraud.

On the other hand, Cohen pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court in connection with eight criminal charges, including the arrangement of non-disclosure agreements of adult star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal over their alleged affairs with Trump.

Taking on social media censorship, Trump said that he would "rather have fake news" than see anyone being censored online.

"I'd rather have fake news than have anybody - including liberal socialists, anything - than have anybody stopped and censored. You can't pick one person and say, 'We don't like what he's been saying, he's out.' So we will live with fake news. I hate to say it, but we have no choice because that's by far the better alternative," the US president asserted.

Trump further said that he would hold further rallies across the country in a bid to consolidate the Republican Party's chances of holding seats in the run-up to the midterm elections. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI