After a series of angry Saturday Twitter postings, in which he accused the Russia collusion investigation of being “rigged” and claiming with no evidence that “spies” were “all over my campaign,” Donald Trump took a new and surprisingly maudlin tone on his Twitter feed Sunday morning — lamenting the “young and beautiful lives” that he said had been “devastated and destroyed” by what he once again referred to as the “witch hunt” of the Russia probe.

“They journeyed down to Washington, D.C., with stars in their eyes and wanting to help our nation…They went back home in tatters!” Trump wrote, apparently referring to the “young and beautiful lives.”

While Trump did not mention the names of any of the “young and beautiful” people whose lives have supposedly been left “in tatters” by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, media audits speculated that he might have been referring to Hope Hicks, his 29-year-old aide and “communications director” who was forced out of the administration after admitting to congressional investigators that she had told “white lies” to protect Trump.

Since the appointment of Special Counsel Robert Mueller in May 2017, the Russia investigation has resulted in 19 criminal indictments and five guilty pleas. Hicks has not been charged, but her legal fees appear to be at least $450,000 so far — at least, that’s the total paid by the Republican National Committee to the law firm that represents her, according to a report by Politico.

Former Trump aide Hope Hicks, left, may have been one of the "young and beautiful lives" left in "tatters," according to a Donald Trump tweet. Featured image credit: Chip Somodevilla Getty Images

The most prominent figures indicted by Mueller have been Trump’s former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who is 59-years-old, and his campaign manager, Paul Manafort, who is 69. The youngest so far, at least among the Americans indicted — Mueller has also issued indictments of more than a dozen Russians — is George Papadopulous, the now-30-year-old campaign foreign policy adviser who was told in advance that Russia held “thousands” of hacked emails containing “dirt” on Hillary Clinton.

Who’s going to give back the young and beautiful lives (and others) that have been devastated and destroyed by the phony Russia Collusion Witch Hunt? They journeyed down to Washington, D.C., with stars in their eyes and wanting to help our nation...They went back home in tatters! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2018

After Trump’s tweet, other pundits and commentators on Twitter registered their own astonishment at the latest bizarre statement from Trump, many lambasting Trump for seeming to weep over the “young and beautiful” subjects of the Russia investigation while largely ignoring a shocking report Friday that United States immigration authorities have simply lost track of nearly 1,500 children who were forcibly taken from their parents by U.S. officials as they attempted to enter the country.

No. Lives have been destroyed by separating children from parents seeking to emigrate. You have been inconvenienced by the Russia probe. There is a difference. Trump: Lives have been 'devastated and destroyed' by Russia probe - POLITICOhttps://apple.news/AWZTtemq5RM-5ZujAwCd5eQ — Stephen Bowlby (@stephenbowlby) May 27, 2018

"Who's going to give back the young and beautiful lives of the children abused and lost by ICE and HHS, those devastated and destroyed by the immigration policy of Donald Trump? They journeyed to America seeking asylum and refuge. They are lost, broken." Fixed it for you, asshat. — Paula (@PaulaBonaFide) May 27, 2018

I hate to quote Trump, but "Who's going to give back the young and beautiful lives and others that have been devastated and destroyed" by ICE agents.? They journeyed to the US "with stars in their eyes" searching for freedom. #WhereAreTheChildren — RJ (@truthwoman53) May 27, 2018

Others note the irony of Trump lamenting lives allegedly “devastated and destroyed” by the Russia collusion investigation on Memorial Day weekend, a time when Americans honor those who have sacrificed their lives fighting the country’s wars.

Sickening. On Memorial Day, Trump tweets “...Who’s going to give back the young and beautiful lives (and others) that have been devastated and destroyed by the phony Russia Collusion Witch Hunt?” No thought for the Young military service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. pic.twitter.com/kMGRczGQ0K — Kat Capps (@KatCapps) May 27, 2018

This on MEMORIAL DAY weekend from the party that brought you “don’t let NFL players express their first amendment rights to protest police violence”. As a vet I swore to uphold the Constitution and protect us against all enemies foreign and domestic. Draft dodger... colluder... — Bryan Everly (@bceverly) May 27, 2018

While still others simply expressed their anger at Trump’s odd Twitter post, or occasionally treated it with humor.

Trump tweeted this morning:



Who’s going to give back the young and beautiful lives (and others) that have been devastated and destroyed by the phony Russia Collusion Witch Hunt?They went back home in tatters!



He’s right. This is Kellyanne Conway before she joined the campaign. pic.twitter.com/pDOmNz5Qbj — George Robbins (@grobbnz) May 27, 2018

I honestly thought this was going to be a tweet about the young and beautiful lives that are devastated and destroyed in school shootings. Should have known not to expect Trump to be able to empathise with anyone outside his inner circle. https://t.co/GEFFYc6QQp — MelG (@mel_giancarlo) May 27, 2018

Trump equating the broken dreams of his privileged babysitters like Hope Hicks to the "devastated and destroyed lives" of immigrant children ripped away from their parents and "lost" including some released to human traffickers. https://t.co/fZ8fzFbsdQ — Kelley Jean (@Kelebration) May 27, 2018

???? for those young & beautiful lives like Jared, Don Jr., Rodger Stone, and many others who are devastated & destroyed because they will be indicted and sent to prison for conspiracy and Money Laundering. BTW has Trump tweeted about the missing 1,500 children he calls criminals? — Savannah Hills (@savannah_hills) May 27, 2018

Yes - we all witnessed the EXACT moment his young and beautiful wife was devastated by TRUMP. pic.twitter.com/sRivd4eFk3 — ❄️Susan ❄️???????????? (@ResistWitch) May 27, 2018

Hahahaha!! The lives that have been devastated — I assume those are the people who have accepted plea deals and plead guilty to crimes of lying, dishonesty to the government and worse? Can’t wait till the Trump family starts to go to jail ... — Leisure Suit Larry (@LeisurelyLarry) May 27, 2018

Two hours after his Twitter message about the “devastated” lives left in “tatters,” Trump lapsed back into the angry tone he displayed in his Saturday Twitter rant, once again accusing the Russia investigation of being “rigged” and referring to Mueller’s investigators as “13 Angry Democrats.”

Of the 17 investigators on Mueller’s team whose names have been released publicly, 12 appear to be registered Democrats, according to a PolitiFact study. But Mueller himself is a longtime Republican who is also a former U.S. Marine and Vietnam veteran. The Deputy Attorney General who appointed Mueller, Rod Rosenstein, is also a Republican, Politifact noted.