Beseiged by reports of contact between campaign associates and Russian spies, President Donald Trump charged Sunday that Democrats and the media are behind the "fake news" to "mask" an "election defeat" and "illegal leaks."
The sharp attack came in a midday Sunday tweet after news of the supposed Russian contacts dominated the morning news programs.
The blast also came in the wake of California GOP Rep. Darrell Issa's call on Friday for an independent investigation into possible contacts during last year's election – and a poll showing most Americans think Congress ought to probe Trump's ties to Russia during the race.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has an inquiry underway into Russia’s role in the election – and Democrats and a few Republican lawmakers have called for the creation of a special committee to investigation Russian interference, The Hill notes.
But Trump has frequently blamed Democrats for the onslaught of stories about Russia's meddling in the 2016 race.
He also took aim on Twitter at the FBI as "totally unable to stop the national security 'leakers' that have permeated our government for a long time" and called for those leaking classified information to be found.
The New York Times has reported some of Trump's campaign staffers had repeated contacts with members of Russian intelligence, but didn't say who was involved in the alleged conversations.
CNN subsequently reported that White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus reached out to FBI Director James Comey and Deputy Director Andrew McCabe asking them to talk to reporters on background to dispute the stories.
The subject was the focus of some Sunday morning interviews on television, including a declaration by former CIA director John Brennan that he was not the source of the leaks.
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