Although President Donald Trump had considered firing special counsel Robert Mueller, the White House said on Friday he will not terminate Mueller. His basis in keeping Trump, despite Mueller being good friends with former FBI Director James Comey, is the special counsel being an honorable man.
Trump said he hopes Mueller will come up with an honorable solution to the Russia investigation. At the same time, the billionaire insisted there was no collusion between his campaign and Russian agents, and he did not obstruct justice when he fired Comey, Reuters reported.
On Friday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer reiterated despite speculations, Trump does not intend to fire Mueller.
Bothersome friendship
In an interview with “Fox & Friends” which aired on Friday, Trump admitted finding Mueller’s very deep friendship with Comey, his successor in FBI, bothersome. The Washington Post noted the billionaire kept on emphasizing the friendship between Mueller and Comey to undermine the credibility of the special counsel and the legitimacy of his investigation.
While the two former FBI directors are preceded by their reputation as men with integrity, The Washington Post cited legal experts who said whatever connection Mueller and Comey have is not enough to merit the special counsel’s removal from the Russia investigation.
David Kelley, the successor of Comey as U.S. attorney in Manhattan, explained the two had lunch together once and dinner twice.
In the first dinner, their wives joined them, while in the second dinner, it was for Mueller to give Comey a run down what to look for in the FBI. Kelley added, Comey has never been to Mueller’s house and vice versa.
Republicans frustrated with Trump
The Hill reported some GOP members on Capitol Hill are frustrated with Trump’s capacity to wound himself politically by always wanting to fight back on different fronts, particularly on Twitter. Mitch McConnell, a Republican senator from Kentucky and the Senate Majority Leader, had publicly asked the president to reduce his tweets.
Trump’s political advisers are happy with the inclusion of a new morning ritual for Trump which is phone calls with his legal team. They hope it would help the president steer away from posting incendiary tweets at the beginning of the day. The Hill, however, pointed out Trump’s tendency to veer into every controversy is not just on social media but even during TV interviews. It cited Trump’s belief that all the staff of Mueller in the Russia investigation are supporters of Hillary Clinton.
