Rather: Trump ‘seized with fear’ over Mueller investigation

Dan Rather says he thinks President Trump is “seized with fear” over special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential race.

“Donald Trump is afraid,” Rather said Wednesday on MSNBC. “He’s trying to exude power and strength. He’s afraid of something that Mueller and the prosecutors are going to find out.”

“A political hurricane is out there at sea for him, we’ll call it Hurricane Vladimir if you will, the whole Russian thing,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

{mosads}”It’s still pretty far out at sea, but each day … this hurricane, this political hurricane … is building in intensity.”

Multiple investigations are looking into Russia’s efforts to influence the election, including whether members of Trump’s campaign coordinated with Moscow, and new developments continue to emerge.

A report Wednesday said Mueller and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) have teamed up in the ongoing investigation of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Politico reported that the statewide investigation could help Mueller in the larger probe into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Mueller’s team is also reportedly looking into Trump’s part in the response to reports about the meeting his advisers had with a Russian lawyer during the presidential race.

NBC News reported earlier this week that investigators are trying to determine what Trump knew about the meeting and if he tried to hide its purpose.

Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and Manafort were all in attendance at the Trump Tower meeting, which was arranged under the pretense of receiving damaging information about then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Trump and his advisers have repeatedly denied collusion, and Trump in the past has decried the Russia probe as a “witch hunt.”