President Trump said Thursday he hasn’ t considered firing Robert Mueller as special counsel in charge of the Russia investigation, adding he wants him to…
President Trump said Thursday he hasn’ t considered firing Robert Mueller as special counsel in charge of the Russia investigation, adding he wants him to “get on” with the probe.
“I haven’ t given it any thought, ” Trump told reporters who asked if he’s thought about dismissing Mueller. “Well, I’ ve been reading about it from you people. You say, oh, I’ m going to dismiss him. No, I’ m not dismissing anybody.”
Trump was pushing back on media reports and comments from friends that he is considering axing Mueller, who is leading the wide-ranging probe into whether his associates colluded with Moscow’s efforts to meddle in the 2016 election.
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“I mean, I want them to get on with the task. But I also want the Senate and the House to come out with their findings, ” Trump said.
But later, the president called the Russia probe “an investigation of something that never took place.”
All signs indicate Mueller’s investigation has grown more serious in recent weeks.
The former FBI director has empaneled a grand jury in Washington to subpoena witnesses and documents. FBI agents recently conducted an early-morning raid of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort’s home.
“I’ ve always found Paul Manafort to be a very decent man, ” Trump said. “I don’ t know, but I thought it was pretty tough stuff to wake him up, perhaps his family was there. I think that’s pretty tough stuff.”
