Grounds for impeachment or a 'witch hunt'?: How the left and right see the Trump-Russia firestorm so very differently

REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

President Donald Trump in Florida.

• The Russia controversy has dogged President Donald Trump since he took office in January.
• He has repeatedly disparaged the Russia investigation as a politically-motivated "witch hunt."
• His far-right media allies and some Republican lawmakers agree, while other conservative legislators believe the investigation is credible and should see the finish line.
• But Democrats universally support the investigation and special counsel Robert Mueller. Some believe Trump's conduct could even be grounds for impeachment.

Almost one year into his first term, President Donald Trump has been plagued by controversy, whether it be over his policies on North Korea and the Middle East, the level of turnover in the West Wing, or his tweeting habits.

But perhaps nothing has dogged Trump's young presidency more than the ongoing congressional and Department of Justice investigations into whether his campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the 2016 election in his favor.

Russia's interference in the race is currently being investigated by the House and Senate intelligence committees, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and by special counsel Robert Mueller, who was appointed to oversee the bureau's probe after Trump fired FBI director James Comey in May.

As the special counsel's investigation gets closer to ensnaring the White House, Republicans and Democrats are waging an intense battle over whether the probe is infected with political bias against Trump, whether a second special counsel should be appointed to investigate Trump's former political opponent, or whether Mueller needs to be protected as he examines whether the president committed impeachable offenses.

Here's how different sides see the Russia investigation: