Trump Ordered Mueller Fired, but Backed Off When White House Counsel Threatened to Quit.
Source: NYT
President Trump ordered the firing last June of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation, according to four people told of the matter, but ultimately backed down after the White House counsel threatened to resign rather than carry out the directive.
The West Wing confrontation marks the first time Mr. Trump is known to have tried to fire the special counsel. Mr. Mueller learned about the episode in recent months as his investigators interviewed current and former senior White House officials in his inquiry into whether the president obstructed justice.
Amid the first wave of news media reports that Mr. Mueller was examining a possible obstruction case, the president began to argue that Mr. Mueller had three conflicts of interest that disqualified him from overseeing the investigation, two of the people said.
First, he claimed that a dispute years ago over fees at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., had prompted Mr. Mueller, the F.B.I. director at the time, to resign his membership. The president also said Mr. Mueller could not be impartial because he had most recently worked for the law firm that previously represented the presidents son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Finally, the president said, Mr. Mueller had been interviewed to return as the F.B.I. director the day before he was appointed special counsel in May.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/us/politics/trump-mueller-special-counsel-russia.html?
Akoto
(4,266 posts)underpants
(182,829 posts)L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)pnwmom
(108,980 posts)lapfog_1
(29,205 posts)Listening to Hayes cover this now.
elleng
(130,974 posts)grantcart
(53,061 posts)elleng
(130,974 posts)lapfog_1
(29,205 posts)they are in a place to forgive anything now. Not just forgive, but complicit.
https://i.cbc.ca/1.4021838.1489349529!/fileImage/httpImage/image.png_gen/derivatives/original_620/ivanka-trump-complicit-on-snl.png
BobTheSubgenius
(11,564 posts)They are all in with this awful narrative they've spun, and are completely unable to let go of it without tacitly declaring that they are ready for their jumpsuit fitting.
Ccarmona
(1,180 posts)He reportedly ordered the firing last June.
Im sure the thought of firing MUeller travels between his ears on a Daily basis.
Trump knows Mueller is getting to the truth.
BigmanPigman
(51,609 posts)he is targeting now. Rosenstein?
iluvtennis
(19,863 posts)L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)reggaehead
(269 posts)The sound of shit hitting the fan
MarvinGardens
(779 posts)Who was the White House counsel at that time?
elleng
(130,974 posts)Donald F. McGahn II, refused to ask the Justice Department to dismiss the special counsel, saying he would quit instead, the people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing a continuing investigation.'
MarvinGardens
(779 posts)Leghorn21
(13,524 posts)Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP in Washington.
I heard theyve badass, but can prove nothing, of course! And does it mean all three have flipped? Well, there is much speculation about this, and I, of course, havent a clue!
Oy!!
More_Cowbell
(2,191 posts)Practically speaking, it means that all them have flipped, or none has. I think they've all flipped.
DeminPennswoods
(15,286 posts)a deal to avoid jail time. IMHO, it's more accurate to say all three have/are cooperating meaning they are answering questions posed to them truthfully, fully and accurately.
rusty quoin
(6,133 posts)Go after the club owner with the full power of the government for high golf fees.
Dark n Stormy Knight
(9,760 posts)Because he's such a giant, ignorant asshole who approached everything like a contest or a vendetta, he thinks others do as well. Same reason I suspect Rs are always thinking Ds are doing some crazy, sleazy shit, because that's how the Rs live their lives.
DonaldsRump
(7,715 posts)"First, he claimed that a dispute years ago over fees at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va., had prompted Mr. Mueller, the F.B.I. director at the time, to resign his membership. "
Are you kidding me??? This is what the Presidency has sunk to? Actually, it didn't need to sink to these levels as it was never above this type of lunacy. However, I have no doubt that many in Trump's camp will find this and the other fallacious reasons mentioned in the article as sufficient to terminate the Special Counsel.
At least Nixon was smart enough to come up with an excuse that executive privilege allowed him the legal right to refuse to hand over his tapes. It was clearly a desperate attempt not to turn over the tapes, but, at the very least, there was at least some constitutional underpinnings in his argument.
While people say that this is like Watergate, it is NOTHING like Watergate. There, the actors were MUCH smarter, and the crimes, while awful, pale in comparison to what has and is going on with the gang that couldn't shoot or talk straight.
uponit7771
(90,347 posts)sdfernando
(4,935 posts)This give you a window into his thought process (if he even has one)...If the situation were reverse, he personally would hold this grudge, years and years and years, and it would colour his view because, you know, he has to hit back. So this is how cheetolini thinks....and he ascribes this pattern to everyone else.
ProudProgressiveNow
(6,129 posts)orangecrush
(19,572 posts)Shit is startng to happen!
iluvtennis
(19,863 posts)SayItLoud
(1,702 posts)Of the F'n MORON claiming just after this order to fire Mueller where he says *it never crossed my mind, you people are all writing about it and talking about it but i haven't even thought about it*.
iluvtennis
(19,863 posts)L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)LiberalFighter
(50,950 posts)Neema
(1,151 posts)the hit is carried out.
Midnight Writer
(21,768 posts)It's like you are gonna hit the guy, and you get all puffed up, and you're talking smack, and then your buddies step in front of you and calm you down. You don't go to jail for that.
Juliusseizure
(562 posts)There's no "it sounds like".
Response to Juliusseizure (Reply #62)
Midnight Writer This message was self-deleted by its author.
Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,034 posts)Squaredeal
(398 posts)Even if the attempt is unsuccessful, such as asking someone to act on your behalf and he or she refuses. It doesn't matter.
Upthevibe
(8,053 posts)LiberalFighter
(50,950 posts)Just found out last month due to those interviews.
kentuck
(111,103 posts)Those twelve Republicans and 48 Democrats have the potential to wield the power in the Senate. At the very least, they can stop any legislation that is not in the best interests of our nation. They must continue to build their coalition.
L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)kentuck
(111,103 posts)If I might ask?
L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)on side of a mountain near Davos, where Pres. Trump is attending the World Economic Forum. http://abcn.ws/2BtMTxL
Retrograde
(10,137 posts)As soon as somebody pushes back he caves.
L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)mr_lebowski
(33,643 posts)Can compel Congress to act to impeach.
And the question of whether a sitting POTUS can be charged with a crime ... any crime ... is still an open one, likely to be decided by a 5-4 SCOTUS decision against us.
'Obstruction', without SOLID PROOF of a underlying crime ... is for sure going to lead to nothing unless we get BOTH Houses back. Without that, even WITH solid evidence of an underlying crime AND proof of conscious INTENT ... might not even be enough to compel the criminally complicit GOPpers ... to act.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)They back him fully now, but in the face of such long, drawn-out proceedings, and a criminal one at that, I think they'll back off. Now that they've gotten their tax cut.
Abouttime
(675 posts)This is obstruction in its purist sense, everyone on our side should be screaming from the rooftops and marching in the streets to demand trump resign.
Every day trump remains in office he does great damage to our country, we must retake our country and punish trump, his family and every one of his supporters.
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)blue-wave
(4,356 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)FailureToCommunicate
(14,014 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)LiberalFighter
(50,950 posts)Mr. McGahn disagreed with the presidents case and told senior White House officials that firing Mr. Mueller would have a catastrophic effect on Mr. Trumps presidency. Mr. McGahn also told White House officials that Mr. Trump would not follow through on the dismissal on his own. The president then backed off.
McGahn essentially stated that DT is chicken. LMAO
L. Coyote
(51,129 posts)DeminPennswoods
(15,286 posts)bucolic_frolic
(43,182 posts)Bombast, now what do I do?
Wet noodle leadership