- White House press secretary Sarah Sanders did not rule out the possibility Monday that President Donald Trump could fire special counsel Robert Mueller.
- Mueller filed charges Friday against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and campaign aide Rick Gates.
- Trump has grown increasingly frustrated over the Russia investigation in recent days.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined on Monday to unequivocally rule out the possibility of President Donald Trump firing special counsel Robert Mueller, though she said Trump had no plans to do so.
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"Sorry, but this is years ago, before Paul Manafort was part of the Trump campaign," Trumptweeted. "But why aren't Crooked Hillary & the Dems the focus?????"
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"Also, there is NO COLLUSION!" Trump concluded.
Several observers pointed out Monday that the charges against Manafort were not related the Trump campaign and did not prove collusion between the campaign and Russia. But former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti said Monday's indictment did not mean the special counsel couldn't later bring more charges.
"He can do that — it's called 'superseding,'" Mariotti wrote.
Trump in recent days hasrailed against the Russia investigation, whose focus includes examining whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the race in his favor. He has also repeatedly questioned why investigators aren't focusing on Hillary Clinton, his 2016 Democratic rival.