President Donald Trump told reporters Sunday that he is not considering firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
“No, I’m not,” Trump told reporters after returning to the White House from Camp David.
The president made the comments after he criticized how the special counsel investigation obtained emails from his presidential transition.
“It’s not looking good. It’s quite sad to see that. My people are very upset about it. I can’t imagine there’s anything on ‘em, frankly, because as we said, there’s no collusion. There’s no collusion whatsoever. A lot of lawyers thought that was pretty sad,” Trump said.
The counsel for the transition said in a letter to lawmakers Saturday that Mueller acted unlawfully in obtaining the emails.
“When we have obtained emails in the course of our ongoing criminal investigation, we have secured either the account owner’s consent or appropriate criminal process,” Peter Carr, spokesman for the special counsel probe, said in response to criticism.
There has been increased speculation from Democrats that Trump will dismiss the special counsel.
“The rumor on the Hill when I left yesterday was that the president was going to make a significant speech at the end of next week. And on Dec. 22nd, when we are out of D.C., he was going to fire Robert Mueller,” Democratic California Rep. Jackie Speier said during a Saturday CNN interview.
And former Attorney General Eric Holder, who is reportedly considering a 2020 presidential run, tweeted Sunday: “ABSOLUTE RED LINE: the firing of Bob Mueller or crippling the special counsel’s office. If removed or meaningfully tampered with, there must be mass, popular, peaceful support of both. The American people must be seen and heard – they will ultimately be determinative.”
Trump allies have attacked Mueller and his investigators in the wake of reports revealing bias. Mueller’s deputy, Andrew Weissmann, applauded a Justice Department official’s defiance of Trump and reportedly attended Hillary Clinton’s election night party.
Additionally, two FBI officials who worked on the special counsel investigation appeared to discuss ways to prevent Trump from becoming president. (RELATED: ‘We Can’t Take That Risk’ — FBI Officials Discussed ‘Insurance Policy’ Against Trump Presidency)
“Congress has an obligation to expose what I believe is a corrupt investigation and I call on my Republican colleagues to join me in firing Bob Mueller,” Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz told CNN’s Chris Cuomo Friday. “It’s time for Mueller to put up or shut up. If there’s evidence of collusion with Russia, let’s see it.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders has been adamant for weeks that Mueller’s investigation will wrap up soon.
Trump’s private lawyers will reportedly meet with Mueller this upcoming week to get an understanding about where Mueller’s wide-ranging probe is headed.
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