An event reportedly of particular interest to Mr Mueller is an exchange on March 22, when Mr Coats told associates that Mr Trump had asked him to intervene with Mr Comey to get him to back off the president's former national security adviser Mike Flynn as part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into the Russian Federation affair. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., if he's seen any reason for Mueller to be fired, Rosenstein said, "I have not". "If there were good cause, I would consider it; if there weren't good cause, it wouldn't matter to me what anybody said".
"I appointed him; I stand by that decision, " he said.
House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters Tuesday any talk about Trump wanting to rid himself of the special investigator amounts to "rumor".
Rosenstein also said that having made political contributions "is not a disqualification" from working for the special counsel leading the Russian Federation investigation. When asked by Sen.
"I know what we're investigating and (Sessions) does not", Rosenstein said, trying to clarify Sessions' role. "It is my view that fully investigating the facts, circumstances, and rationale for Mr. Comey's removal will provide us the opportunity to do that on a cooperative, bipartisan basis", added Grassley.
On Wednesday Mr Mueller met the leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee in an effort to ensure their investigations did not conflict.
"I'm not going to follow any orders unless they are a lawful order", Rosenstein responded.
The White House was quick to dismiss Ruddy's comments.
Until now, Mueller had drawn widespread praise from Republicans and Democrats alike. Trump had wanted Comey to disclose publicly that he wasn't personally under investigation but the FBI director refused to do so.
But expressions of discontent with Mueller are bubbling up nonetheless.
Britain's May urges Northern Irish government deal by June 29
He told reporters Sinn Féin would support any additional monies going to the Northern Ireland executive as a result of a deal. Talks restarted on Monday in Belfast, under Britain's Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire.
But hours later, former House Speaker and Trump surrogate Newt Gingrich again bounced up what appeared to be a trial balloon, saying those who believe that the investigation is going to be "neutral" and "professional" are "delusional", and calling special counsels "very unsafe".
Mueller's requests to interview the officials signals that his investigation is expanding to include the possibility that Trump tried to obstruct justice, according to The Times. "With respect to the subject, only the president or his attorneys are authorized to comment". In general, it is impermissible to ask prospective government hires about their political leanings, including whether they've made donations.
"I recused myself from any investigation into the campaigns for President, but I did not recuse myself from defending my honor against scurrilous and false allegations", Sessions said.
"I'm not a flak for the White House".
On Tuesday, Ruddy noted that he had never claimed to have spoken to the president about it and that the statement does not deny his initial claim.
In 1973, there was such a firestorm following Nixon's move against Cox that the White House was forced to appoint another special prosecutor, Texas attorney Leon Jaworski. Shortly after Mueller's appointment was announced last month, Trump floated the idea of firing him, but staffers sought to squash the idea, which they believed would "turn a bad situation into a catastrophe", The Times reported Tuesday.
Collins' question was prompted by recent media reports that Mueller's role leading the DOJ's Russian Federation investigation could be in jeopardy.
Trump, however, lacks the legal authority to directly fire Mueller.
The next major meeting for House and Senate Russia investigators is with Mueller himself, the first since he was appointed. Still, Gingrich said any special counsel with an agenda can "all of the sudden find something procedural and technical to latch onto".
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