Trump blasts obstruction of justice probe reports as 'phony'

US President Donald Trump on Thursday ridiculed as "phony" and "witch hunt" claims about collusion between Russia and his associates after media reports that he is being investigated for possible obstruction of justice.

"They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice, Trump tweeted, a day after The Washington Post followed by several other media outlets reported that a special counsel appointed to probe alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential polls is investigating him for possible obstruction of justice.

The probe Mueller "marks a major turning point in the nearly year-old FBI investigation, which until recently focused on Russian meddling during the presidential campaign and on whether there was any coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin," The Washington Post reported on Wednesday. Investigators have also been looking for any evidence of possible financial crimes by Trump associates, the daily said. The New York Times also reported that Mueller was seeking interviews with the three officials. Trump described such stories as witch hunt.