In a desperate move, President Trump has called on attorney general Jeff Sessions to open an investigation into the Obama administration over Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Trump took to Twitter on Wednesday to vent, saying that Democrats are not under investigation, as special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians heats up.

“Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administration, right up to January 20th, why aren’t they the subject of the investigation?” Trump tweeted. “Why didn’t Obama do something about the meddling? Why aren’t Dem crimes under investigation? Ask Jeff Session!”

Trump’s unprecedented and illegal request comes hours after Alex van der Zwaan, an attorney who is the son-in-law of a Russian oligarch, pleaded guilty to lying to federal authorities investigating alleged links between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Trump quickly deleted his tweet after it was met with fierce backlash. But we were able to grab a screenshot before he deleted it:

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