Former special counsel Robert Mueller testified under oath that he was not pursuing the job of FBI Director when he met with President Donald Trump in 2017 — but administration officials say otherwise.
Mueller was pursuing FBI director job when he met with Trump in 2017, administration officials say https://t.co/GzgX3IVXdc #FoxNews
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) October 9, 2019
Information uncovered Tuesday by Judicial Watch indicated that Mueller was not only considering taking that position, vacated only days earlier when Trump fired former Director James Comey, but he was also discussing with then Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein the possibility that he might be asked to serve as special counsel, according to Fox News.
BREAKING: Mueller sought FBI job with @realDonaldTrump even as email shows he secretly discussed special counsel job with Rosenstein. Again, @JudicialWatch heavy lifting gets results. https://t.co/Xg0byEbzlH https://t.co/j2Q9JGIVmr
— Tom Fitton (@TomFitton) October 9, 2019
Emails obtained by Judicial Watch detailed some of the communications between Rosenstein and Mueller, Fox News reported. The conversation regarding whether or not Mueller might serve as special counsel began on May 12, 2017 — nearly a week before Mueller met with the president.
“The boss and his staff do not know about our discussions,” then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in an email to Mueller on May 12, 2017. Rosenstein’s boss was then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who had recused himself from the Russia probe, meaning the president would not have known either.
When Mueller testified on July 24, 2019, he said that he met with the president in 2017 in an advisory capacity. “My understanding was I was not applying for the job. I was asked to give my input on what it would take to do the job.” (RELATED: Hundreds Of Pages Of Mueller Probe Documents To Be Released Each Month)
The president has repeatedly contradicted that, claiming that Mueller had met with him to discuss the possibility of returning to the post he had held under both former Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
“Bob Mueller was pursuing the FBI Director job when he met with President Trump in 2017, Administration officials say.” @FoxNews Bret Baier and Jake Gibson @seanhannity This is true even though Mueller denied it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 9, 2019
WATCH: