Posted on 04/25/2019 7:49:04 PM PDT by lasereye
The allegation in the Mueller Report that has gotten the most media play is President Trump’s supposed attempt to fire Robert Mueller from his position as special counsel. It is commonly said that Trump “tried” to fire Mueller. For example, the Washington Post headlines: “The Trump team still maintains Trump didn’t try to fire Mueller. Mueller disagrees.” The New York Times headlines: “Trump sought to fire Mueller in December.” USA Today: “Donald Trump denies he tried to fire Mueller, disputing account from a former senior White House aide.” But in my view, these characterizations are not supported by what Mueller says Don McGhan told him.
First, as Yoda might say, there is no “try.” President Trump had the legal power to fire Mueller as special counsel. It makes no sense to claim that he “tried” but failed to do so. Trump could have fired Mueller, but he didn’t.
Second, McGhan’s testimony, as described in the Mueller Report, does not support that characterization:
On Saturday, June 17, 2017, the President called McGahn and directed him to have the Special Counsel removed. McGahn was at home and the President was at Camp David. In interviews with this Office, McGahn recalled that the President called him at home twice and on both occasions directed him to call Rosenstein and say that Mueller had conflicts that precluded him from serving as Special Counsel.
On the first call, McGahn recalled that the President said something like, “You gotta do this. You gotta call Rod.” McGahn said he told the President that he would see what he could do. McGahn was perturbed by the call and did not intend to act on the request.
And again:
When the President called McGahn a second time to follow up on the order to call the Department of Justice, McGahn recalled that the President was more direct, saying something like, “Call Rod, tell Rod that Mueller has conflicts and can’t be the Special Counsel.” McGahn recalled the President telling him “Mueller has to go” and “Call me back when you do it.”
If the quotes attributed to McGhan are correct, it appears that President Trump directed him to try to persuade Rod Rosenstein that Mueller had a conflict and should be discharged as special counsel–not that McGhan himself should fire Mueller or order Rosenstein to do so, something that the White House counsel would not have the power to do. Thus, McGhan’s response that he “would see what he could do” was appropriate.
The Mueller Report says, initially, that “[o]n Saturday, June 17, 2017, the President called McGahn and directed him to have the Special Counsel removed.” But if you keep reading, that description is wrong. Rather, Trump “directed him to call Rosenstein and say that Mueller had conflicts that precluded him from serving as Special Counsel.” Trump told McGhan to make an argument to Rosenstein, not to deliver an order to Rosenstein. Mueller gets it right the second time when he refers to the president’s “order to call the Department of Justice.”
Whether Mueller had a conflict of interest that should have disqualified him from serving as special counsel is hotly debated, but in any event, it was not unreasonable for President Trump to hold the view that he had a conflict. Nor was it unreasonable for him to consider it possible that Rosenstein could be persuaded that that opinion was correct. I don’t see anything wrong with dispatching his White House counsel to take the matter up with Rosenstein.
It also should be noted that discharging Mueller on the ground of a conflict would not have terminated the Russia collusion investigation (just in case you had forgotten what it was that Mueller was supposed to be investigating). If Rosenstein had removed Mueller on the ground of a conflict, he would have appointed a different special counsel and the investigation would have continued.
President Trump tweeted on this story this morning:
As has been incorrectly reported by the Fake News Media, I never told then White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Robert Mueller, even though I had the legal right to do so. If I wanted to fire Mueller, I didn’t need McGahn to do it, I could have done it myself. Nevertheless,........Mueller was NOT fired and was respectfully allowed to finish his work on what I, and many others, say was an illegal investigation (there was no crime), headed by a Trump hater who was highly conflicted, and a group of 18 VERY ANGRY Democrats. DRAIN THE SWAMP!
Trump’s comments are, I think, correct.
will you’all ever let this thing drop?!!!! Enough already!!!
Mueller did have “conflicts”. The only reason things turned out as well as they did, is he knew the IG was following along behind him.
As it is, I look forward to his testimony before Congress. I’d like to see Nunes and the boys get him under oath.
The question is moot.
Agree
Lame blog.
Trump, if he wanted to, could have just fired Mueller.
The Russia zombie lurks.
sandwich
That's exactly what it says.
The President was cooperative and accommodating in the Mueller investigation. By his order, Trump and all the WH staff provided everything wanted. It was an amazing and gracious act on the President’s part.
The MSM reported it many many times ,LOL
Who cares? He didn’t try very hard because Mulehead wasn’t fired.
I don’t normally read blogs as they tend to be dumb but in that case, then it’s right.
PDJT should have ended the entire Mueller farce right from the start!
Democrats want to 'get' Trump on thought crimes... he 'thought' about firing this one or that one or those two or whatever.
the question should be: Was Mueller Fired? The answer is NO. Period. End of story.
Trump tried and then what? Someone said “bad Donald, shame on you for wanting to fire poor Mr. Mueller” and then they sent Trump went back into the Oval Office with his tail between his legs? Is that what people to believe?
Or do they want everyone to believe Trump is somehow a tyrant and dictator? Which is it?
They need to get their lies straight.
Wow, Trump is done!
What’s that you say? He didn’t do what?
Oh, he didn’t fire him.
Someone should let this person know.
LOL
Whether he tried or not, Mueller wasn’t fired - and even if he had been it would have been for the best of reasons - because Trump knew he didn’t do anything wrong and didn’t want to waste twenty million taxpayer dollars on an investigation that wasn’t necessary - or so he oould argue and who could prove otherwise.......
He didn’t fire him.. So what is the beef? Legally he could fir Mueller!
Will someone please report on Weismann’s history of prosecutorial misconduct. See Ted Steven’s case. Weismann only received a slap on the wrist. He should have been disbarred.
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