Donald Trump has thanked special counsel Robert Mueller for pouring cold water on news reports which suggested the president had ordered his former lawyer to lie during a hearing before Congress.

According to BuzzFeed News, citing two unidentified law enforcement officials, Mr Trump ordered Michael Cohen to lie about a Trump Tower project in Moscow they pursued during the 2016 presidential campaign.

This was followed by statement from the special counsel's office on Friday which said: "BuzzFeed's description of specific statements to the special counsel's office, and characterisation of documents and testimony obtained by this office, regarding Michael Cohen's congressional testimony are not accurate."

Speaking to reporters at the White House, the president said: "I appreciate the special counsel coming out with a statement last night. I think it was very appropriate that they did so."

Mr Trump added: "I think that the BuzzFeed piece was a disgrace to our country. It was a disgrace to journalism."


Many people are saying that the Mainstream Media will have a very hard time restoring credibility because of the way they have treated me over the past 3 years (including the election lead-up), as highlighted by the disgraceful Buzzfeed story & the even more disgraceful coverage! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2019

He had earlier tweeted it is "a very sad day for journalism, but a great day for our country" after the special counsel's office disputed the accuracy of a news report about the president and his former lawyer.

Cohen pleaded guilty in November to lying to Congress to cover up that he was negotiating the Trump Tower project on Mr Trump's behalf.

He was sentenced in New York for crimes including tax evasion, lying to Congress about the Trump tower, and arranging illicit payments to silence women who threatened Mr Trump's presidential campaign in 2016.

Image: Special counsel Robert Mueller is heading up the Russia probe in possible collusion

Mr Mueller's ongoing investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion between Mr Trump's campaign and Moscow has been the subject of frequent stories and speculation.

However, it is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for his office to issue such a statement.

After the statement was issued, Mr Trump retweeted several posts that called the story "fake news".

Remember it was Buzzfeed that released the totally discredited “Dossier,” paid for by Crooked Hillary Clinton and the Democrats (as opposition research), on which the entire Russian probe is based! A very sad day for journalism, but a great day for our Country! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2019

Fake News is truly the ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2019

BuzzFeed said it stands by its reporting and the sources who informed it, and is "working to determine what exactly" Mr Mueller's office is disputing.

Investigators in the Senate and House of Representatives said they planned to look into the allegations.

Earlier on Friday, Mr Trump tweeted that Cohen was "lying" about the Moscow project "to reduce his jail time".

Cohen, who once said he was so loyal to Mr Trump that he would "take a bullet" for him, is due to begin a three-year prison sentence in March after pleading guilty to numerous charges including campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress.

Image: Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress to cover up that he was negotiating the Trump Tower project on Mr Trump's behalf

Mr Trump repeatedly has denied collusion with Russia and criticised Mr Mueller's investigation as a "witch hunt."

Russia also has rejected US intelligence findings that Moscow interfered in US politics in the 2016 election in an effort to boost Mr Trump.

In a separate development, Mr Trump has said he will make a "major announcement" on Saturday afternoon on the government shutdown and the situation on the US-Mexico border.

Image: Mr Trump is to make an announcement later on the US government shutdown

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders declined to provide further details but said Mr Trump was "going to continue looking for the solution" to end what the administration had repeatedly referred to as a "humanitarian and national security crisis at the border".

The shutdown, which has moved into a fifth week, has led to hundreds of thousands of federal workers not being paid.

The move represents the first major overture by the president since 8 January, when he delivered an Oval Office address making the public case for his border wall.

The president and his aides have said he will not budge on his demand for $5.7bn for his border wall, but Democrats have panned the offer and said they will not negotiate until the government reopens.