Trump Intended To Fire Special Counsel Mueller In June 'New York Times' Says : NPR
Trump  Intended To Fire Special Counsel Mueller In June  'New York Times' Says
 President Trump  ordered White House counsel Don McGahn to fire Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller last summer â but McGahn refused and threatened to quit himself if  the president  went ahead  according to an explosive report in The New York Times.
 Trump   in brief remarks as he entered the conference hall at the World Economic Forum in Davos  Switzerland  dismissed the story in what has become his characteristic fashion.
"Fake news. Fake news  " Trump  said in brief remarks as  he  entered the conference hall. "Typical New York Times. Fake stories."
Neither attorneys for  Trump  nor the Justice Department would immediately comment on the story.
The Times story described  Trump  formulating a case against Mueller as someone who could investigate possible  Trump  campaign involvement with Russia's attack on the 2016 election.
 Trump  argued Mueller had conflicts of interest: over Mueller's onetime membership at one of  Trump 's golf courses; over his connection to a law firm that represented Trump's son-in-law; and over the interview he had done with  Trump  to possibly take over the FBI after  Trump  had just fired then-Director James Comey.
Mueller had served as a longtime director of the bureau and was Comey's predecessor; NPR reported last June that  Trump  had placed  him  on the shortlist to take over after Comey's dismissal.
But even though McGahn did not go along with  Trump 's desire to get rid of Mueller  the White House's top lawyer had reportedly been part of an earlier pressure campaign on the Justice Department. McGahn has been described as the conduit for requests by  Trump  that Attorney General Jeff Sessions not recuse himself from the Russia matter â although he ultimately did â and that FBI Director Christopher Wray get rid of Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Wray has not agreed.
And the complaint about Mueller's "conflicts" has become a leitmotif of Republican criticism of the special counsel's office  the Justice Department and the FBI.  Trump  allies  particularly in the House  have zeroed in on what  they  said was Mueller's failure to investigate the sale of a uranium company and what's been described as his withholding of information from Congress as reasons he must step down or Sessions must appoint a second special counsel.
The Justice Department's inspector general is looking into its handling of recent high-profile political cases  including the private email server used by Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state. Mueller has removed at least one investigator from the Russia unit whom the inspector general discovered had criticized  Trump  in text messages on his FBI-issued phone.
 Trump  himself said in a surprise appearance on Wednesday that  he  is looking forward to giving a personal interview to Mueller  under oath.  His  legal team said the president's comments took place as  he  "hurried" to leave for  his  trip for Switzerland and they have made clear that negotiations for an interview with Mueller are still ongoing.
[TGT] Intended To Fire Special Counsel Mueller In June  'New York Times' Says
  [TGT] ordered White House counsel Don McGahn to fire Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller last summer â but McGahn refused and threatened to quit himself if   [TGT] went ahead  according to an explosive report in The New York Times.
  [TGT] in brief remarks as  [TGT]  entered the conference hall at the World Economic Forum in Davos  Switzerland  dismissed the story in what has become his characteristic fashion.
"Fake news. Fake news   [TGT] said in brief remarks as   [TGT]   entered the conference hall. "Typical New York Times. Fake stories."
Neither attorneys for   [TGT] nor the Justice Department would immediately comment on the story.
The Times story described   [TGT]   formulating a case against Mueller as someone who could investigate possible   [TGT] campaign involvement with Russia's attack on the 2016 election.
  [TGT] argued Mueller had conflicts of interest: over Mueller's onetime membership at one of  Trump 's golf courses; over  [TGT]  connection to a law firm that represented Trump's son-in-law; and over the interview  [TGT]  had done with   [TGT]   to possibly take over the FBI after   [TGT] had just fired then-Director James Comey.
Mueller had served as a longtime director of the bureau and was Comey's predecessor; NPR reported last June that   [TGT] had placed  him  on the shortlist to take over after Comey's dismissal.
But even though McGahn did not go along with  Trump 's desire to get rid of Mueller  the White House's top lawyer had reportedly been part of an earlier pressure campaign on the Justice Department. McGahn has been described as the conduit for requests by  [TGT] that Attorney General Jeff Sessions not recuse himself from the Russia matter â although he ultimately did â and that FBI Director Christopher Wray get rid of Deputy Director Andrew McCabe. Wray has not agreed.
And the complaint about Mueller's "conflicts" has become a leitmotif of Republican criticism of the special counsel's office  the Justice Department and the FBI.   [TGT] allies  particularly in the House  have zeroed in on what   [TGT]   said was Mueller's failure to investigate the sale of a uranium company and what's been described as  [TGT]  withholding of information from Congress as reasons  [TGT]  must step down or Sessions must appoint a second special counsel.
The Justice Department's inspector general is looking into its handling of recent high-profile political cases  including the private email server used by Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state. Mueller has removed at least one investigator from the Russia unit whom the inspector general discovered had criticized   [TGT]   in text messages on  [TGT]  FBI-issued phone.
  [TGT]  said in a surprise appearance on Wednesday that   [TGT]   is looking forward to giving a personal interview to Mueller  under oath.   [TGT]   legal team said the president's comments took place as   [TGT]   "hurried" to leave for   [TGT]   trip for Switzerland and they have made clear that negotiations for an interview with Mueller are still ongoing.