The US media reports suggest Robert Mueller’s inquiry has taken the first step towards possible criminal charges.

According to Reuters news agency, the jury has issued subpoenas over a June 2016 meeting between President Donald Trump’s son and a Russian lawyer.

The president has poured scorn on any suggestion his team colluded with the Kremlin to beat Hillary Clinton.

In the US, grand juries are set up to consider whether evidence in any case is strong enough to issue indictments for a criminal trial. They do not decide the innocence or guilt of a potential defendant.

The panel of ordinary citizens also allows a prosecutor to issue subpoenas, a legal writ, to obtain documents or compel witness testimony under oath.

At a rally in Huntington, West Virginia, on Thursday evening, Mr Trump said the allegations were a “hoax” that were “demeaning to our country”.

“The Russia story is a total fabrication,” he said. “It’s just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of American politics, that’s all it is.”

The crowd went wild as he continued: “What the prosecutor should be looking at are Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 deleted emails.”

“Most people know there were no Russians in our campaign,” he added. “There never were. We didn’t win because of Russia, we won because of you, that I can tell you.”

Mr Trump’s high-powered legal team fielding questions on the Russia inquiry said there was no reason to believe the president himself is under investigation.

Ty Cobb, a lawyer appointed last month as White House special counsel, said in a statement: “The White House favours anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly.

“The White House is committed to fully co-operating with Mr Mueller.”

Earlier on Thursday, the US Senate introduced two separate cross-party bills designed to limit the Trump administration’s ability to fire Mr Mueller.

The measures were submitted amid concern the president might dismiss Mr Mueller, as he fired former FBI director James Comey in May, citing the Russia inquiry in his decision.

Thursday’s reports suggest former FBI director Mr Mueller’s investigation is focusing on 39-year-old Donald Trump Jr’s June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer.

According to Reuters, the special counsel is examining whether anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign encouraged the Russians to start releasing material about the Clinton campaign.

A source told the news agency the president himself was not currently under investigation.

But the special counsel was seeking to determine whether Mr Trump knew of his son’s meeting before it happened, or if he was briefed on it afterwards, the source said.

The US first son’s emails show that he was told the meeting would yield damaging material on Mrs Clinton, provided by the Kremlin.

Mr Trump and his aides have dismissed the encounter as “opposition research” that happens in any political campaign.

Mr Trump Jr’s initial, misleading statement – that the meeting was about Russian adoptions – was issued with the president’s advice.

The US intelligence community, including the CIA and NSA, has determined that Russia sought to boost Mr Trump’s chances of victory in November 2016 presidential election, which Moscow denies.

Mr Trump has at times expressed doubt about the determination made by his own intelligence agencies.

Mr Mueller was appointed in May by the deputy attorney general of the Department of Justice.

Several congressional inquiries are examining the same allegations.

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Source: BBC

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Mr Trump also told NBC News it was his decision alone to sack James Comey.

Mr Comey was leading an inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the US election and possible collusion between Trump campaign officials and Moscow.

Mr Trump has dismissed the probe as a “charade”, a claim directly contradicted by Mr Comey’s successor.

In his first interview since firing the FBI director, Mr Trump told NBC News on Thursday he had asked Mr Comey whether he was under investigation.

“I said, if it’s possible would you let me know, ‘Am I under investigation?’ He said: ‘You are not under investigation.'”

“I know I’m not under investigation,” Mr Trump told the interviewer, repeating a claim he made in Tuesday’s letter of dismissal to Mr Comey.

The president also appeared to undercut the initial White House explanation that he fired Mr Comey on the recommendation of top justice officials.

“He’s a showboat. He’s a grandstander. The FBI has been in turmoil. I was going to fire Comey. My decision,” Mr Trump said.

“I was going to fire regardless of recommendation.”

“There’s no collusion between me and my campaign and the Russians,” he added.

Mr Trump recently tweeted that the Russia-Trump collusion allegations were a “total hoax”.

But on Thursday he denied he wanted the FBI inquiry dropped.

“In fact, I want the investigation speeded up,” the president told NBC.

Mr Trump said he had just sent a letter via a law firm to Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stating that he has no stake in Russia.

“I have nothing to do with Russia,” he said. “I have no investments in Russia. I don’t have property in Russia. I’m not involved with Russia.”

On Thursday afternoon Mr Trump retweeted a five-month-old post by comedienne Rosie O’Donnell, his arch-foe in the world of entertainment.

Many liberals had previously called for Mr Comey to be removed, blaming his updates last year about the FBI inquiry into Hillary Clinton’s emails for Mr Trump’s shock election victory.

The White House has depicted the Russia inquiry as “probably one of the smallest things” that the FBI has “got going on their plate”.

But acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe said on Thursday that it was “a highly significant investigation”.

In testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee, he also cast doubt on White House claims that Mr Comey had lost the confidence of his staff.

“I can confidently tell you that the vast majority of employees enjoyed a deep and positive connection to Director Comey,” Mr McCabe said.

The acting FBI director vowed not to update the White House on the status of the investigation and to notify the Senate panel of any attempt to interfere with the inquiry.

Republican committee chairman Richard Burr asked Mr McCabe if he had ever heard Mr Comey tell Mr Trump the president was not the subject of investigation.

Mr McCabe said he could not comment on an ongoing inquiry.

The acting FBI director did not confirm reports that Mr Comey had asked for more resources for the agency’s Russia inquiry.

Mr McCabe said he believed the FBI had sufficient funding to conduct the probe.

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Source: BBC

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