Trump may sack special counsel in Russia inquiry, says friend
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Version 0 of 5. High-profile supporters of Donald Trump are turning on special counsel Robert Mueller, the man charged with investigating Russian interference in the US election and possible collusion with Trump’s campaign, with one friend of the president floating the possibility he could fire Mueller. Trump’s allies have begun raising questions about the former FBI director’s impartiality, suggesting he cannot be trusted to lead the investigation. There is increasing concern at the White House and among Trump supporters that the investigation could overshadow the president’s agenda for months to come. Chris Ruddy, a friend of Trump’s and the chief executive of Newsmax, a US news outlet, went so far as to suggest the president was already thinking about “terminating” Mueller. “I think he’s considering perhaps terminating the special counsel,” Ruddy said in a TV interview. “I think he’s weighing that option.” White House officials sought to downplay Ruddy’s comments. “Mr Ruddy never spoke to the president regarding this issue,” Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, said in a statement. “With respect to this subject, only the president or his attorneys are authorised to comment.” The former House speaker Newt Gingrich, an informal Trump adviser, tweeted on Monday: “Republicans are delusional if they think the special counsel is going to be fair. Look who he is hiring.” Weeks ago, Gingrich had heaped praise on Mueller, hailing him as a “superb choice” for special counsel whose reputation was “impeccable for honesty and integrity”. But after the testimony of the former FBI director James Comey to a Senate committee last week, Gingrich said he had changed his mind. “Time to rethink,” he tweeted Monday, citing Mueller’s hiring decisions and Comey’s admission that he had instructed a friend to share with reporters notes he had taken of his private conversations with Trump in order to force the appointment of a special counsel. The conservative commentator Ann Coulter offered a similar message, tweeting: “Now that we know Trump is not under investigation, Sessions should take it back and fire Mueller.” The talk about dismissing Mueller appeared to be coming from Trump allies – including some close to the White House strategist Steve Bannon – who are increasingly frustrated over the prospect of a long inquiry. They say Trump did not collude with Russia and see the investigation as a politically motivated sham that handicaps Trump’s ability to execute his agenda, according to one person who is advising the White House on how to handle the investigation. Ruddy appeared to be basing his remarks, at least in part, on comments from Jay Sekulow, a member of Trump’s legal team, who told ABC in an interview on Sunday that he was “not going to speculate” on whether Trump might at some point order the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, to fire Mueller. “Look, the president of the United States, as we all know, is a unitary executive. But the president is going to seek the advice of his counsel and inside the government as well as outside. And I’m not going to speculate on what he will or will not do,” Sekulow said. Still, he added, “I can’t imagine that that issue is going to arise”. It was not clear whether Ruddy, who speaks often with the president, was basing his remarks on a specific conversation with the president or entirely on Sekulow’s comments. Ruddy did not immediately respond to questions seeking clarification. Ruddy was at the White House on Monday to meet White House aides, but did not speak with the president, Spicer said. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said via email: “Chris speaks for himself.” Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined to comment on Ruddy’s remarks. Under Justice Department regulations, firing Mueller would have to be done by the deputy attorney general rather than the president, although those regulations could theoretically be set aside. The attorney general, Jeff Sessions, recused himself from all matters having to do with the Trump-Russia investigation because of his own conversations with Russian officials during the Trump transition. |