Trump promises peace, but turmoil over Russia probe and media intensifies

US President Donald Trump speaks during a post-election press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP) Nothing provokes the anger of the fiery and unconventional president more than special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into whether his campaign colluded with Russian agents during his 2016 election. Trump has continuously threatened that he has the power to shut down what he calls “a witch hunt” and on Wednesday he took the first potential step when he replaced his attorney general, Jeff Sessions, with loyalist Matthew Whitaker. The switch, announced on Trump’s Twitter feed, provoked consternation across Washington, where politicians from both sides of the aisle have long warned that political interference in Mueller’s work cannot be tolerated. Democrats, who won the lower house of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, now see Trump as close to crossing that line with the ultimate goal of covering up alleged crimes. “The rule of law is disappearing before our eyes,” tweeted Sally Yates, a deputy attorney general under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama and briefly in the top job under Trump before he sacked her. “He wants a political crony to protect him from the investigation of his own campaign,” she said. FAKED VIDEO? The midterm elections saw the Democrats win control of the lower house of Congress for the first time in eight years, meaning that from January onwards Trump will finally face an opposition that has teeth. However, with Republicans tightening their grip on the Senate, an initially… [Read full story]