Judy Woodruff, of PBS Newshour, has just revealed via a tip from the CEO of Newsmax Media Chris Ruddy, that Trump is considering firing special counsel Robert Mueller who is currently investigating him.
Let the record show, that Chris Ruddy is a dear friend of Trump’s and the head of a major news organization. He’s a credible source.
If Trump decides to do so, it would create an absolute whirlwind in Washington – the talk of conspiracy and cover-up will never cease – and the comparisons to former President Richard Nixon will be even more relevant.
Chris Ruddy to @JudyWoodruff: President Trump is considering firing special counsel Robert Mueller, who he considered for another position. pic.twitter.com/X4IIHlh8at
— PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) June 12, 2017
It turns out, Trump has the legal authority to fire Mueller – as unbelievable as that is. In order to go about it the right way, Trump would first have to direct Rosenstein to fire him, or order special counsel regulations repealed. If he does that, he could fire him directly.
Neal Katyal, the former acting solicitor general of the United States, reveals that Trump has other options, though. Congress can still block Mueller’s independent investigation, as well. As he states in his Washington Post article, “I know. I wrote the rules (on this).”
Even Trump’s own attorney won’t rule out that Trump won’t fire Mueller. He’s making no such promises.
‘Look, the president of the United States, as we all know, is a unitary executive,’ Sekulow said instead of answering the question definitively.
So, why would Trump fire Mueller if he’s unconcerned about the Russia investigation which he has called a “fake news” from the very start? Well, recently Mueller has been assembling a small army of team members to help assist him in the investigation. CNN reports its a “formidable team of legal minds who’ve worked on everything from Watergate to Enron, unlikely to leave any stone unturned.”
“Bob Mueller’s investigation is just beginning,” says Kevin Andrew Chambers, white collar partner at Latham & Watkins and former Assistant US Attorney in DC. “It is far too early for anyone to speculate where he will end up and folks should get comfortable with the fact that it could be a couple years before he reports his findings. Remember, he is a career prosecutor. His focus will be on accumulating and reviewing the entire body of evidence rather than fixating on any one document, witness, or event.”
That’s right. If Trump has a made a mistake, any mistake for that matter, Trump could be seeing criminal charges. That’s what he’s most scared of. Everyone remembers the Bill Clinton Watergate investigation that uncovered Clinton’s affairs. That surprised everyone. Trump is no different – something completely unrelated to the investigation might turn up and Trump simply may not be able to afford that to happen. Firing Mueller might be in his best interest even if it will be a public relations nightmare.
