Republican Senator Marco Rubio refutes Trump's 'witch hunt' tweet

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio on Thursday addressed President Donald Trump's Twitter claims that he was the subject of a "witch hunt" after a special prosecutor was appointed to investigate possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“The president is entitled to his opinion, but we’re a nation of laws,” Rubio told reporters. “That’s not a criticism of the president. That is a reality that our institutions work. The acting attorney general has the authority to appoint a special counsel and has done so.”

Former FBI Director Robert Mueller was appointed as special prosecutor in the ongoing Russian investigation on Wednesday.

Calling Mueller a "person of high esteem," Rubio admitted that he has "full confidence" that Mueller will "conduct an independent, thorough and fair investigation."

In his tweet,  Trump said, “This is the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history!” referencing the appointment of Mueller as special counsel.

The president added, "With all of the illegal acts that took place in the Clinton campaign & Obama Administration, there was never a special counsel appointed."

On Wednesday night, former CIA official Phillip Mudd praised Mueller during a televised appearance on CNN with Wolf Blitzer.

“For four and a half years of sitting down the hall from [Mueller], I saw one two three times a day threaten meetings, personnel meetings, meetings with three attorneys general,” Mudd told Blitzer about Mueller's stern and fair principles.

“I can tell you, every American who thinks that this is a moment of turmoil, whether they like the president or not, should breathe easy tonight,” he said. “Robert Mueller is solid ground. I saw presidents, kings, prime ministers, secretaries of state, CIA directors, the former U.S. Attorney in New York said he’s one of the best.”