"Rod told me I’m not a target of the investigation … The lawyers ask him. They say, ‘He’s not a target of the investigation' … He told the attorneys that I’m not a subject, I’m not a target," Trump said in the interview published on Thursday.
However, when asked if Rosenstein’s answer also concerned a separate investigation into the alleged collusion led by federal prosecutors in New York, Trump said he did not know.
Russia has repeatedly denied interfering in the election, saying the allegations were made up to excuse the defeat of Trump's campaign opponent as well as deflect public attention from actual instances of electoral fraud and corruption. The claims of collusion have also been repeatedly dismissed by both Moscow and Trump who has called Mueller's probe a "witch hunt."
READ MORE: Mueller Probe Surrounded With 'Mayhem', Produced No Serious Output Yet — Kremlin
On January 9, US media reported that Rosenstein, who appointed Mueller to lead the probe, planned to step down after the investigation would be finished.
Earlier this week, Acting US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker said that Mueller’s probe was close to being completed.
