Special Counsel investigation

"The mainstream media is under fire and being scorned all over the world as being corrupt and fake. for two years they pushed the russian collusion delusion when they always knew there was no collusion," Trump wrote on Twitter, and added:

Special Counsel Robert Mueller on March 22 handed in a confidential report on his investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 presidential election and any potential wrongdoing by U.S. President Donald Trump, setting off a clamor from lawmakers in both parties for the document's quick release.

Roger Stone, a long-time ally of U.S. President Donald Trump who advised his 2016 presidential campaign, was arrested on Jan. 25 and charged with seven counts, according to a grand jury indictment made public by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office.

A US federal judge on Sunday rejected a last-minute bid by former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos to delay his two-week prison term and ordered him to surrender Monday as scheduled.

Papadopoulos sought the delay until an appeals court had ruled in a separate case challenging the constitutionality of special counsel Robert Mueller's appointment.

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions was fired by Donald Trump Wednesday after enduring more than a year of bitter criticism from the president over his decision to step aside from the Russia investigation that has dogged the White House.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein headed to the White House on Monday expecting to be fired by President Donald Trump, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

President Donald Trump has issued an ominous warning about the Justice Department and the FBI, promising further firings to get rid of a "lingering stench" following reports that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein discussed secretly recording the president.

Lawyers for George Papadopoulos, a Greek-American aide in the Donald Trump presidential campaign, said in a court filing on Friday that he revealed to the Greek foreign minister in May 2016 that Russia had "dirt" on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

He claimed the meeting took place a few days before Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Greece.

President Donald Trump "nodded with approval" at the suggestion of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a court filing Friday night that seeks leniency for a former campaign aide who lied to the FBI.

The conviction of President Donald Trump's one-time campaign chairman and the guilty plea by his former personal lawyer Tuesday have brought Russia prosecutor Robert Mueller sorely needed relief as political pressure mounts for him to wind up the 15-month-old investigation.