Trump moved to fire Mueller in June bringing White House counsel to the brink of leaving
President Trump  last June sought to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III but backed off after White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn threatened to resign. (Bastien Inzaurralde Melissa Macaya/The Washington Post)
 President Trump  last June sought to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III but backed off after White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn threatened to resign. (Bastien Inzaurralde Melissa Macaya/The Washington Post)
 President Trump  sought the firing of Robert S. Mueller III last June  shortly after the special counsel took over the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election  and  he  backed off only after White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn threatened to resign over the move.
McGahn did not deliver his resignation threat directly to  Trump   but was serious about his threat to leave  according to a person familiar with the episode.
 The presidentâs  effort came in the weeks after Muellerâs appointment last May to lead the probe into whether Trumpâs campaign coordinated with Russian attempts to tilt the election. Mueller was tapped for the role by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein after  Trump  fired FBI Director James B. Comey.
The special counsel probe has quickly expanded to include an exploration of whether  Trump  has attempted to obstruct the ongoing investigation â a line of inquiry that could now include the presidentâs threatens to fire Mueller himself.
 President Trump  told reporters on Jan. 24 that  he  is âlooking forwardâ to speaking to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.  Trump  said there was âno collusionâ between  his  presidential campaign and Russia. (David Nakamura/The Washington Post)
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)  a former state attorney general  described Trumpâs attempt to oust Mueller as âremarkable and stunning â adding in an interview  âit shows the need immediately to protect the special counsel.â
 Trump  was initially calm when Mueller was appointed  surprising White House aides  according to a senior administration official.
But in the weeks that followed   the president  spoke with a number of friends and advisers who convinced  him  that Mueller would dig through  his  private finances and look beyond questions of collusion with Russians. They warned that the probe could last years and would ruin  his  first term in office.
At the time   Trumpâs  legal team was urging  him  to take an aggressive posture toward the special counsel and was compiling arguments about why Mueller could not be impartial. Among the points cited: an allegation that Mueller had gotten into a dispute over membership fees before he resigned from a Trump-owned golf course in Northern Virginia in 2011.
[Trump team seeks to control  block Muellerâs Russia investigation]
 Trumpâs  ire at Mueller rose to such a level that then-White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon and then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus grew âincredibly concernedâ that he was going to fire Mueller and sought to enlist others to intervene with the president  according to a  Trump  adviser who requested anonymity to describe private conversations.
In one meeting with other advisers  Bannon raised the concern that if  Trump  fired Mueller it could trigger a challenge to his presidency based on the 25th Amendment  which lays out the process of who would succeed a president in case of incapacitation.
Despite internal objections   Trump  decided to assert that Mueller had unacceptable conflicts of interest and moved to remove him from his position  according to the people familiar with the discussions.
In response  McGahn said he would not remain at the White House if  Trump  went through with the move  according to a senior administration official.
[TGT]  sought to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III but backed off after White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn threatened to resign. (Bastien Inzaurralde Melissa Macaya/The Washington Post)
  [TGT]  sought to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III but backed off after White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn threatened to resign. (Bastien Inzaurralde Melissa Macaya/The Washington Post)
  [TGT] sought the firing of Robert S. Mueller III last June  shortly after the special counsel took over the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election  and   [TGT]   backed off only after White House Counsel Donald F. McGahn threatened to resign over the move.
McGahn did not deliver his resignation threat directly to  Trump   but was serious about his threat to leave  according to a person familiar with the episode.
 The presidentâs  effort came in the weeks after Muellerâs appointment last May to lead the probe into whether Trumpâs campaign coordinated with Russian attempts to tilt the election. Mueller was tapped for the role by Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein after   [TGT] fired FBI Director James B. Comey.
The special counsel probe has quickly expanded to include an exploration of whether   [TGT] has attempted to obstruct the ongoing investigation â a line of inquiry that could now include the presidentâs threatens to fire Mueller himself.
  [TGT] told reporters on Jan. 24 that   [TGT]   is âlooking forwardâ to speaking to special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.   [TGT] said there was âno collusionâ between   [TGT]   presidential campaign and Russia. (David Nakamura/The Washington Post)
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)  a former state attorney general  described Trumpâs attempt to oust Mueller as âremarkable and stunning â adding in an interview  âit shows the need immediately to protect the special counsel.â
  [TGT] was initially calm when Mueller was appointed  surprising White House aides  according to a senior administration official.
But in the weeks that followed    [TGT] spoke with a number of friends and advisers who convinced   [TGT]   that Mueller would dig through   [TGT]   private finances and look beyond questions of collusion with Russians. They warned that the probe could last years and would ruin  his  first term in office.
At the time    [TGT] legal team was urging  him  to take an aggressive posture toward the special counsel and was compiling arguments about why Mueller could not be impartial. Among the points cited: an allegation that Mueller had gotten into a dispute over membership fees before he resigned from a Trump-owned golf course in Northern Virginia in 2011.
[Trump team seeks to control  block Muellerâs Russia investigation]
  [TGT] ire at Mueller rose to such a level that then-White House strategist Stephen K. Bannon and then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus grew âincredibly concernedâ that he was going to fire Mueller and sought to enlist others to intervene with the president  according to a   [TGT] adviser who requested anonymity to describe private conversations.
In one meeting with other advisers  Bannon raised the concern that if   [TGT] fired Mueller it could trigger a challenge to his presidency based on the 25th Amendment  which lays out the process of who would succeed a president in case of incapacitation.
Despite internal objections    [TGT]   decided to assert that Mueller had unacceptable conflicts of interest and moved to remove him from his position  according to the people familiar with the discussions.
In response  McGahn said he would not remain at the White House if   [TGT]   went through with the move  according to a senior administration official.