Friend says Trump is considering ‘terminating’ Mueller

Robert Mueller is superb choice to be special counsel.

The comments came a day after a close friend of President Donald Trump was quoted in a television interview as saying the president was considering dismissing Mueller. “I think there’s a conflict there”. “I think it’d be a disaster”.

Mueller wants to interview Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers, according to the people, who asked for anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Meanwhile, a chorus of Trump supporters, from former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich to commentator Ann Coulter, is assailing Mueller’s independence.

The effort to muddy the waters surrounding the investigation is coming amid growing White House concern that the probe could detract from the president’s agenda for months or years to come.

“You have to hope that common sense would prevail”, Schiff said. ‘I’ve not talked to him about it’. “No”, Ruddy told her. Still, he added, “I can’t imagine that that issue is going to arise”. I don’t believe he will fire him. I do believe he has the legal right to do it.

“If there were good cause, I would consider it”.

Tuesday morning, in a statement to CNN, Ruddy disputed Spicer’s comments. The Big Three Networks’ willful omission of that point just goes to show how they push the worst case scenario as what was occurring with Trump.

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Rosenstein says the attorney general would be the only one who could fire Mueller, and since Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the investigation, Rosenstein is acting in that capacity. The White House would be well served by supplying robust, diligent cooperation.

CECILIA VEGA: In the White House today, President Trump ignoring the question.

“The attorney general is the one who has to fire him”, said CNN’s senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin on “Anderson Cooper 360”.

And while he had recused himself from the Russian Federation probe, Sessions insisted, “I did not recuse myself from defending my honor against scurrilous and false allegations”. “Republicans are delusional if they think the special counsel is going to be fair”.

Terminating Mueller would be the second time Trump has fired a senior law enforcement official investigating the Russian Federation issue – the first being Federal Bureau of Investigation director James Comey – and would run the risk of sending an even more unambiguous signal the president is axing everyone closing in on a truth he would like to keep secret.

Ruddy, who is chief executive of Newsmax Media and a member of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, confirmed his view in a text message to The Washington Post but did not elaborate.

“First, most simply, Trump could order Mueller fired”, Katyal said. If Trump keeps firing the investigators, even his allies will be hard-pressed to defend the investigation or say it shouldn’t even be conducted.

The order from the general counsel for the transition team casts a wide net on documents that could shed light on ties between Trump’s presidential campaign and representatives of Russia’s government.

BRENNAN: President Trump ignored questions about Mueller’s fate.

And a person familiar with Trump’s thinking said Tuesday morning that it’s “unlikely” the President will fire Mueller, but conceded that it’s often hard to predict Trump’s behavior. But Gingrich said that Mueller will only “annoy” but not “get Trump”. What is clear is that he could order the Justice Department to ax Mueller, which may result in Rosenstein’s departure and would certainly intensify the uproar over the investigation. Will they stay or not?

“For Mr. Trump, the line between whim and will is always thin”.

“Mr. Ruddy never spoke to the president regarding this issue”, Spicer said. Ruddy acknowledging that, but doubling down.