Donald Trump is being investigated for possible obstruction of justice during his 2016 election campaign, the Washington Post reports.

Special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the investigation into Russian election meddling, is probing possible obstruction of justice by President Trump.

Investigators working under Mueller since he was appointed in May to take over the probe are arranging to speak to key intelligence officials, the newspaper reported on Wednesday, citing five officials.

Former FBI director James Comey, who was sacked by Trump on May 9, testified last week to a Senate committee he believed his removal was an attempt to alter the federal investigation of Russian activities in the 2016 election and ties to former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Washington Post claims Special Counsel is now investigating Pres Trump for obstruction of justice. — Mike Amor (@mikeamor7) June 14, 2017

Donald Trump is set to be investigated for possible obstruction of justice during his 2016 election campaign. Source: Getty Images

It quoted five people briefed on the requests and said those who have agreed to be interviewed are Daniel Coats, the director of national intelligence, Admiral Mike Rogers, head of the National Security Agency, and his recently departed deputy, Richard Ledgett.

Trump's personal lawyer Marc Kasowitz issued a statement saying the FBI was behind the Post story and called the leak "outrageous, inexcusable and illegal." The lawyer did not deny the story, however.

Trump vehemently denies any collusion between himself or any of his associates and Russia.

Mueller, himself a widely respected former head of the FBI, has now taken up the angle of possible efforts by Trump to obstruct justice in the investigation, the Post said.

Quoting officials, the newspaper said one event of interest to Mueller is an exchange on March 22, when Coats told associates that Trump had asked him to intervene with Comey to get him to back off the focus on Trump's former national security advisor Mike Flynn as part of the FBI probe of the Russia affair.

A few days after the March 22 meeting, Trump spoke separately with Coats and Rogers and asked them to issue public statements to the effect that there was no evidence of coordination between his campaign and Russia. The Post said both men refused the president's request.

Mueller briefed Senators on Wednesday on his work.

"I'm going to acknowledge we had a meeting with the special counsel Mueller, but I'm not going to get into the contests," Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters later.

Newsbreak – June 15