Robert Mueller, special counsel investigating Trump-Russia scandal was about to be last June, after Donald Trump told White House counsel to fire the investigator so as to stop the investigation, but White House counsel threatened to resign rather than fire Mueller.
When Don McGahn received the order to fire Mueller, he refused to ask Justice Department to fire Mueller, as this will have a very adverse effect on Trump presidency. Mueller gets to know of the Presidential order after investigators interviewed Senior White House officials.
The White House has declined to comment on the news of the President obstruction in trying to fire Robert Mueller, White House lawyer, Ty Cobb and John Dowd, Trump lead private attorney have also declined to comment on the recent development.
In August, when the special counsellor to the President, Kellyanne Conway was asked on ABC if the President is considering firing Mueller, she said "The president has not even discussed that, I can tell you as his counselor, he is not discussing that."
Ty Cobb on Dec 16 also reported that the President was not considering firing Mueller on CNN, he said "There is no consideration of firing the special counsel." and after his interview with CNN, four days later, he sang the same song to Washington Post saying; "For five months or more the White House has persistently and emphatically stated there is no consideration of firing the Special Counsel and the White house willingly affirms, yet again, as it has every day this week, there is no consideration being given to the termination of the Special Counsel"
Trump argued that Mueller is not fit to investigate the case for three reasons;
-A previous dispute over membership fees at the Trump National Golf Club in Virginia.
-Working at a law firm that had previously represented Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
-Mueller previously interviewing with the FBI to potentially return to lead the agency after the firing of James Comey.
Both Democrats and Republicans have said that firing Mueller will be a major red line for the President Trump presidency. Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee in a statement said that;
I’ve said it before, and I am saying it again: firing the Special Counsel is a red line that the president cannot cross.Any attempt to remove the special counsel, pardon key witnesses, or otherwise interfere in the investigation, would be a gross abuse of power, and all members of Congress, from both parties, have a responsibility to our Constitution and to our country to make that clear immediately.
Sen. James Lankford, a Republican who also sits on the Intelligence committee said;
The White House and the president have said repeatedly, most recently yesterday, that they will comply with the special counsel and investigating Committees. So, I think we should take the White House at their word.
Mueller was not the one Trump was considering to fire, Trump was also looking to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein,the man who appointed Mueller after the attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation.
The Mueller investigation is still going on, and four people who had been filed charges includes Paul Manafort, former Trump campaign manager and his associates, Rick Gates; former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn; and former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos.
Trump while on his way to World Economic Forum in Davos told reporters he was looking forward to speak with special counsel Mueller in two or three weeks time.