President Trump has ended speculation he may fire special counsel Robert Mueller, after Trump's team’s recent attacks on the credibility of the ex-FBI director’s probe into Russian collusion.
With Mueller’s investigation making its way into the president’s inner circle, Republicans have been casting doubt on its impartiality and pushing for a new independent prosecutor to investigate anti-Trump bias. This has led to growing speculation that the administration is laying the groundwork for sacking Mueller.
But when reporters asked Trump whether is intending to fire Mueller on his return to the White House from Camp David on Sunday, Trump replied “No, I’m not,” before insisting there was “no collusion whatsoever” between his campaign and Russia.
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President Donald Trump gestures as he talks to the media on South Lawn of the White House in Washington, U.S., before his departure to Camp David, December 16. Trump told reporters on Sunday he will not fire Robert Mueller as a campaign to discredit the Russia probe heats up. Reuters
The president's comments come a day after a lawyer representing Trump’s transition team accused Mueller's investigation of wrongfully obtaining thousands of emails sent and received by Trump officials before the start of his administration—a tactic that could be seen as possibly paving the groundwork to expel the special counsel.
Trump told reporters that the situation was “not looking good [for Mueller].” “It’s quite sad to see that,” he added. “My people were very upset about it.”
Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, denied wrongdoing and told CNN that the emails were obtained for the probe after they had “secured either the account owner’s consent or appropriate criminal process.”
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The past few days have seen Trump backing away from firing Mueller as the move grows increasingly risky.
On Sunday, former Attorney General Eric Holder called for Americans to hold peaceful mass protests if President Trump fires Robert Mueller or significantly hampers his investigation.
"ABSOLUTE RED LINE: the firing of Bob Mueller or crippling the special counsel's office. If removed or meaningfully tampered with, there must be mass, popular, peaceful support of both," tweeted Holder, who served as the top prosecutor in the Obama administration from 2009 to 2015.