Christopher Ruddy, the founder of Newsmax Media and close friend of President Trump, told PBS News Hour
Monday that he believes the president is “considering perhaps
terminating” special counsel Robert Mueller, the man charged with
investigating Russian interference in the U.S. election and possible
collusion with Trump’s campaign.
The comments come amid increasing
frustration at the White House and among Trump supporters that the
investigation will overshadow the president's agenda for months to come —
a prospect that has Democrats are hoping for.
When reached by Fox
News after the remarks, Ruddy said, “while I am not claiming the
president said it to me, I am confident of my sourcing. He is definitely
considering it as an option.”
Sean Spicer, the White House press
secretary, said Ruddy “never spoke to the president regarding this
issue. With respect to this subject, only the president of his attorneys
are authorized to comment.”
The New York Times reported that to
fire Mueller, Trump would have to order Deputy Attorney General Rod J.
Rosenstein to turn back regulations that protect ta special counsel from
being fired for no good reason. If Rosenstein refused, Trump could fire
Rosenstein.
As Mueller builds his legal team,
Trump's allies have begun raising questions about the former FBI
director's impartiality, suggesting he cannot be trusted to lead the
probe.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an informal Trump
adviser, tweeted Monday, "Republicans are delusional if they think the
special counsel is going to be fair. Look who he is hiring," tweeted
Just
weeks ago, Gingrich had heaped praise on Mueller, hailing him as a
"superb choice" for special counsel whose reputation was "impeccable for
honesty and integrity."
But after the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey last week, Gingrich said he'd changed his mind.
"Time
to rethink," he tweeted Monday, citing Mueller's hiring decisions and
Comey's admission that he'd instructed a friend to share with reporters
notes he'd taken of his private conversations with Trump in order to
force the appointment of special counsel.
Conservative commentator
Ann Coulter offered a similar message, tweeting, "Now that we know
TRUMP IS NOT UNDER INVESTIGATION, Sessions should take it back &
fire Mueller."
The talk about dismissing Mueller appeared
to be coming from Trump allies — including some close to White House
strategist Steve Bannon — who are increasingly frustrated with the
prospect of a long and winding probe.
They say Trump did not
collude with Russia and see the investigation as a politically motivated
sham that handicaps Trump's ability to execute his agenda, according to
one person who advises the White House on how to handle the probe. The
person demanded anonymity to discuss strategy on the sensitive matter.
Ruddy
appeared to be basing his remarks, at least in part, on comments from
Jay Sekulow, a member of Trump's legal team, who told ABC in an
interview Sunday that he was "not going to speculate" on whether Trump
might at some point order deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein to fire
Mueller.
"Look, the president of the United States, as we all
know, is a unitary executive. But the president is going to seek the
advice of his counsel and inside the government as well as outside. And
I'm not going to speculate on what he will or will not do," Sekulow
said. Still, he added, "I can't imagine that that issue is going to
arise."