Trump has called reports that he gave orders to fire Robert Mueller “fake news”. Trump has denied the report that says he ordered the firing of special counsel Robert Mueller in June last year, and that he backed down after his own lawyer threatened to resign. According to the New York Times, White House counsel Donald McGahn said that sacking Mueller would have a “catastrophic effect” on President Trump’s presidency.
“Fake News. Typical New York Times. Fake Stories”
At the moment, Robert Mueller is leading an investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to influence the US election in President Trump’s favor. Both Moscow and Trump deny these allegations. The US president at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos said that the New York Times news were “fake news” and “fake stories”. President Donald Trump has been at the WEF in the Swiss town of Davos where he will be giving a speech.
Robert Mueller’s appointment came after Trump had sacked FBI Director James Comey, saying that it was because of the “Russia thing”. Mueller is also trying to find out whether that action represented an obstruction of justice.
Who’s White House counsel Donald McGahn?
Donald McGahn is a lawyer who is specializing in campaign finance. The New York Times described him as having a “bare-knuckle style” and a “personality to match Mr. Trump’s”. He joined the Trump campaign and fought a series of battles including defeating a bid to keep the president off the New Hampshire ballot o procedural grounds.
Special Counsel Mueller’s near-dismissal
Robert Mueller found out about his near dismissal recently, as his team interviewed past and present White House officials, as reported by The New York Times. There have been more hints in the US media that the president might fire special counsel Robert Mueller. President Trump’s opponents in the Democratic Party would see such a stunt as a bid to stifle justice which could trigger an effort to impeach the US president.
In response to the recent news, Senator Mark Warner who is the Democratic vice-chairman of the Senate intelligence committee has warned that firing Mueller would be a gross abuse of power that Trump cannot afford to commit. The effect of this news on the president’s acceptance to be questioned under oath is yet to be determined.
