Trump shares column claiming he was 'framed' in Russia probe

On an otherwise quiet night of posting — during which most of the president’s posts related to footage of golfers invited onstage at a recent rally — President Donald Trump’s most notable missive focused on a long-time concern of his: the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Trump late Thursday shared a Fox News opinion column by Gregg Jarrett headlined: "Trump was framed by the Russia collusion hoax. Now the whole story is exposed." The president offered no additional commentary on the subject in his post.

None of Trump’s overnight posts included any personal input from the president until 6:30 a.m., when the president posted: “INFLATION IS WAY DOWN UNDER ‘TRUMP.’ INCOME FOR PEOPLE & COMPANIES IS WAY UP! The Golden Age of America Is Upon Us.”

The Jarrett column is largely just a promotion for a Fox Nation series. Jarrett is a Fox News legal analyst who defended Trump on the network throughout the Robert Mueller probe, which looked at Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible ties to Trump's campaign.

Trump had shared the same column before, on Oct. 13, calling the Fox series “A MUST WATCH!”

Trump has previously said the Russia inquiry ended in "complete vindication" and that his opponents' "fraud has been exposed." He has also posted before about being “framed.” In 2023, he wrote: "The FBI offered Christopher Steele One Million Dollars in order to FRAME me."

Though Mueller’s report detailed Russian efforts to intervene in the election in ways that benefitted Trump, it also "did not establish" coordination between Trump's campaign and Russia. Still, Mueller pointedly did not clear Trump on obstruction: his report explicitly says it "does not exonerate" Trump.

“If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state,” reads volume II of Mueller’s report. “Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.”

Investigations tied to Trump's accusations remain active. Former CIA Director John Brennan was subpoenaed to testify on Oct. 15 before a grand jury in Fort Pierce, Florida; no charges have been filed there. Separately, two Espionage Act counts against former FBI Director James Comey were unsealed Oct. 26.