Washington, United States: US President Donald Trump ordered the firing of Russia investigation special counsel Robert Mueller last year but later reversed course, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Mueller is leading the probe into allegations of collusion between the US president's campaign team and Russia in the 2016 election, which Trump has repeatedly criticized and views as an attack on the legitimacy of his presidency.
The Republican leader gave the order in June 2017, according to the Times, but White House counsel Don McGahn refused, saying it would have a "catastrophic effect" on Trump's presidency.
White House counsel Ty Cobb declined to comment on the matter, the newspaper said.
The alleged conflicts were as follows: Mueller had terminated his membership at a Trump golf course over a dispute about fees, had previously represented the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and had been interviewed for a possible return as director of the FBI before he was appointed as special counsel.
"I would love to do it," Trump told reporters in the White House when asked about testifying.
Any interview of a US president in an investigation is fraught with issues of executive privilege -- how much and in what context the US leader can be forced to disclose information.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Mueller is leading the probe into allegations of collusion between the US president's campaign team and Russia in the 2016 election, which Trump has repeatedly criticized and views as an attack on the legitimacy of his presidency.
The Republican leader gave the order in June 2017, according to the Times, but White House counsel Don McGahn refused, saying it would have a "catastrophic effect" on Trump's presidency.
White House counsel Ty Cobb declined to comment on the matter, the newspaper said.
Advertisement
The alleged conflicts were as follows: Mueller had terminated his membership at a Trump golf course over a dispute about fees, had previously represented the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, and had been interviewed for a possible return as director of the FBI before he was appointed as special counsel.
Advertisement
"I would love to do it," Trump told reporters in the White House when asked about testifying.
Advertisement
Any interview of a US president in an investigation is fraught with issues of executive privilege -- how much and in what context the US leader can be forced to disclose information.
Advertisement
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Donald Trump's Former Physician Shares New Details On Gunshot Wound "Had Distinct Misfortune Of Watching Trump's Speech": Biden Donald Trump To Hold First Campaign Rally After Assassination Attempt Israeli Jets Strike Yemen Rebels After Deadly Attack On Tel Aviv Woman On Scooter With 2 Kids Punched, Left Bleeding In Pune Road Rage Case The 'Fake' CrowdStrike Worker Who Took Credit For Biggest-Ever IT Outage At Least 39 Palestinians Killed As Israel Steps Up Gaza Bombardment Donald Trump's Former Physician Shares New Details On Gunshot Wound Israel Strikes Hezbollah Ammunition Depot In Lebanon, 4 Wounded: Report Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.