US President Donald Trump has accused Attorney General Jeff Sessions of damaging the midterm re-election chances of two Republican members of Congress by prosecuting them.
Mr Trump wrote on Twitter that the justice department’s decision to file charges put “easy wins now in doubt”.
Both men are key Trump supporters. One is accused of insider trading and the other of campaign violations.
Mr Trump has often clashed with Mr Sessions over the Russia inquiry.
The attorney general has recused himself from the investigation into claims that Moscow tried to help Mr Trump win the 2016 election.
Following the recusal, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead the inquiry. Mr Trump has repeatedly called it a “witch hunt”.
The latest presidential criticism of Mr Sessions with just over two months to go before the midterm elections. The Democrats are seeking to wrest control of the House of Representatives from the Republicans.
In a tweet, Mr Trump criticised the prosecution of “two very popular Republican Congressmen”.
Last month Representative Christopher Collins was charged with participating in an insider trading scheme. He has denied wrongdoing but said he would not seek re-election.
Later in August Representative Duncan Hunter and his wife were indicted for allegedly using campaign funds to pay for personal expenses. They too deny the charges.
The investigation into Mr Hunter began under the presidency of Barack Obama, but the Collins inquiry was launched last year.
The justice department has not commented on the tweet. But it has drawn fire from a number of critics, including Mr Trump’s fellow party members.
Republican Senator Ben Sasse said the justice department should remain politically neutral in deciding whether or not to prosecute.
“The United States is not some banana republic with a two-tiered system of justice – one for the majority party and one for the minority party. These two men have been charged with crimes because of evidence, not because of who the president was when the investigations began.”
US political scientist and columnist Brian Klass called Mr Trump’s outburst “insane”.
Source: bbc.co.uk
