According to a report by The New York Times, President Donald Trump ordered the firing of Robert Mueller last June, but White House counsel lawyer Don McGahn said he would quit, rather than carry out the directive.
Mueller and his team were hired as the special counsel to investigate the alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, but President Trump argued he had three conflicts of interest that automatically disqualified Mueller from proceeding with any investigation.
Those claims include a conflict over membership fees at Trump’s National Golf Club in Sterling, VA., which prompted Mueller to terminate his membership. As well as, Mueller’s recent work representing the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner and Mueller interviewing to return as F.B.I. director the day before he was appointed to run the special counsel.
For those insisting Trump never directed Mueller’s firing/McGahn didn’t threaten to quit, it’s been 17 hours since our story published. McGahn/White House have not denied this report. https://t.co/0FqR2cUjxu
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) January 26, 2018
However, McGahn’s refusal to abide by President Trump’s order backfired when President Trump refused to move forward alone and backed down. According to The New York Times, “Mr. McGahn disagreed with the president’s case and told senior White House officials that firing Mr. Mueller would have a catastrophic effect on Mr. Trump’s presidency.”
This news comes in the wake of the long term investigation Mueller and his counsel has been conducting and, on Wednesday, according to a Vox report, “sources told Bloomberg News’s Chris Strohm and Shannon Pettypiece that Mueller ‘appears to be wrapping up’ the obstruction investigation.”
President Trump, who recently arrived in Davos, Switzerland, was asked about these accusations of Mueller’s termination, to which he simply replied: “Fake news. A typical New York Times fake story.”
While the uncertainty of the end date of the investigation hangs in the balance, President Trump is adamant Russia did not meddle with the election and that Mueller will be fair with his proceedings. President Trump has stated, as he’s maintained throughout the investigation, that “There’s been no collusion. But I think he’s going to be fair.”