President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better Jimmy Kimmel hits Trump for rallies while hosting Emmy Awards MORE asserted on Saturday that special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE's investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia should never have been opened in the first place.

"The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime," Trump wrote on Twitter.

"It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the [Democratic National Committee], and improperly used in [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT!"

The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime. It was based on fraudulent activities and a Fake Dossier paid for by Crooked Hillary and the DNC, and improperly used in FISA COURT for surveillance of my campaign. WITCH HUNT! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2018

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The tweet came hours after Trump's lawyer, John Dowd, released a statement calling on Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Rod RosensteinDOJ kept investigators from completing probe of Trump ties to Russia: report Five takeaways from final Senate Intel Russia report FBI officials hid copies of Russia probe documents fearing Trump interference: book MORE, who oversees Mueller's investigation, to shut down the probe.

Dowd initially told the Daily Beast that the statement was issued on behalf of Trump, but later reversed course, saying it was given in his personal capacity.

Still, Trump has repeatedly lambasted Mueller's investigation as a "witch hunt," arguing that there was no improper contact or coordination between his campaign and Moscow. He reportedly sought last summer to have Mueller fired, but backed down after White House counsel Don McGahn threatened to resign.

Trump's tweet on Saturday night also came a day after Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsGOP set to release controversial Biden report Trump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs Ocasio-Cortez, Velázquez call for convention to decide Puerto Rico status MORE fired FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe Andrew George McCabeGraham: Comey to testify about FBI's Russia probe, Mueller declined invitation Barr criticizes DOJ in speech declaring all agency power 'is invested in the attorney general' GOP votes to authorize subpoenas, depositions in Obama-era probe MORE, arguing that McCabe misled congressional investigators and leaked information to the press.

McCabe swiftly pushed back on those charges, saying that his ouster was politically motivated and intended to undercut Mueller's investigation into Russia's election meddling.