Trump Reportedly Wanted Mueller Fired in December
Remember a few months ago when news broke that President Trump wanted Robert Mueller fired but backed down? Well, there was apparently another such instance.
Per The New York Times tonight, the President was so “furious” after seeing news about subpoenas issued by the special counsel’s office that he “told advisers in no uncertain terms that Mr. Mueller’s investigation had to be shut down.”
But he cooled down later after being told the reports in question that got him fired up weren’t true:
The president’s anger was fueled by reports that the subpoenas were for obtaining information about his business dealings with Deutsche Bank, according to interviews with eight White House officials, people close to the president and others familiar with the episode. To Mr. Trump, the subpoenas suggested that Mr. Mueller had expanded the investigation in a way that crossed the “red line” he had set last year in an interview with The New York Times.
In the hours that followed Mr. Trump’s initial anger over the Deutsche Bank reports, his lawyers and advisers worked quickly to learn about the subpoenas, and ultimately were told by Mr. Mueller’s office that the reports were not accurate, leading the president to back down.
The Times, of course, reported in January that Trump ordered Mueller fired last June but backed down after White House counsel Don McGahn “threatened to resign.”
This new report says the President has “openly discussed” ways to shut down the probe, but people around him have warned against it.
Just yesterday, when asked whether he would fire the special counsel, Trump said that “many people” have told him he should and “we’ll see what happens.” Sarah Huckabee Sanders said today the President “certainly” thinks he has the authority to do so.
[image via screengrab]
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