‘Typical New York Times Fake News’: Trump Denies Trying To Fire Mueller

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Saagar Enjeti White House Correspondent
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President Donald Trump denied a Thursday evening report from The New York Times that he tried to fire special counsel Robert Mueller in June in an appearance at The World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland Friday.

“Fake news. Fake news. Typical New York Times. Fake stories,” the president told reporters of the story. The story alleges that Trump ordered White House counsel Donald McGahn to fire Mueller in June. McGahn was reportedly so incensed by the order he threatened to quit leading to the president backing down.

Mueller was appointed special counsel in May 2017 to investigate the Russian government’s attempt to meddle in the 2016 presidential election. The special counsels’ charges against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former national security advisor Mike Flynn however indicate he is investigating crimes outside of this purview, sparking Trump’s alleged ire.

Trump indicated to The New York Times in January it would be a red line if Mueller began looking into the president’s past business dealings, saying, “I think that’s a violation. Look, this is about Russia.”

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Saagar Enjeti