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President Donald Trump Says Special Counsel 'Hurts Our Country'

WASHINGTON (AP) -  President Donald Trump says the appointment of a special counsel to oversee the investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 election "hurts our country terribly."

He says the move "shows we're a divided, mixed-up, not unified country" and is "a very, very negative thing."

The Justice Department announced Wednesday that former FBI Director Robert Mueller has been given sweeping power to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign, including potential links between Moscow and Trump campaign associates.

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The president spoke at a lunch with news anchors at the White House.

Several attendees posted excerpts online.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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