President Trump tells reporters 'he hasn't called Russia in 10 years'

Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he had not called Russia in 10 years as he brushed off demands for a special prosecutor to investigate alleged links between his presidential campaign and Moscow.

He made the comments as journalists were leaving the Roosevelt Room where the president was meeting healthcare executives.

A pool reporter wrote that Mr Trump mouthed the word “no” in response to a question about a special prosecutor.

“I haven’t called Russia in 10 years,” he added.

The House of Representatives and the Senate are launching investigations into allegations that Russian intelligence agencies tried to swing the election for the billionaire businessman.

The FBI is also looking at potential ties between Trump associates and Russia.

Trump administration | Conflicting views on Russia

The highly charged issue has already forced the resignation of Michael Flynn, picked by Mr Trump as his National Security Adviser, after it emerged he had misled officials over a conversation with the Russian ambassador to Washington in December.

Although there is no evidence that Mr Trump has placed calls to Russia during the decade, some of his contacts with country are well known.

In 2008 he sold his Palm Beach mansion in Florida to Dmitry Rybolovlev, a Russian oligarch, for $95 million.

The president visited Moscow in 2013 for the Miss Universe pageant.

And only last month he spoke to President Vladimir Putin by telephone.

The White House has repeatedly denied accusations that Trump aides were in contact with Russian officials during the 2016 campaign.

That has not been enough to stem criticism. Opponents are now calling for a special prosecutor saying they want an outsider to run an investigation because they do not trust Mr Trump’s attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who was himself a central figure of the election campaign.

In quotes | The Trump - Putin relationship

However, the chairman of the House committee on intelligence insisted there was no need for a special prosecutor, characterising it as a McCarthy-style investigation based on a handful of newspaper reports.

Devin Nunes said: “We just cannot go on a witch hunt.”

He added that the scope of the investigation was still being developed but said it was part of a months long probe into Russian activities.

But he said intelligence officials had not yet presented the committee with any evidence of contacts between Trump campaign staff and Russian intelligence.  

In brief | Who will be advising Donald Trump on national security?