The only man who can fire special counsel Robert Mueller, the man charged with investigating Russian interference in the USA election and possible collusion with Trump's campaign, says he sees no good cause to do so.
But Chris Ruddy, the CEO of Newsmax and a friend of the President who attended meetings Monday at the White House, was the one who revealed that the issue was being discussed.
Ruddy later clarified to ABC News that Trump is "considering asking [Deputy Attorney General Rod] Rosenstein to terminate Mueller".
The public testimony Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence committee should yield Sessions' most extensive comments to date on questions that have dogged his tenure as attorney general and that led him three months ago to recuse himself from the Russian Federation probe.
The Post quoted five people briefed on the requests, saying those who agreed to be interviewed include national intelligence director Daniel Coats, Admiral Mike Rogers who heads the NSA, and his recently departed deputy, Richard Ledgett. "He comes from a law firm that represents members of the Trump family", Ruddy said.
"This process has to play out because of what he did with [fired FBI director James] Comey and also calling for the investigation to end".
"I never said I spoke to the President", he added.
Rosenstein's memo to Sessions about Comey was originally used to justify Comey's firing - although Trump undercut that a few days later, when he told NBC News that he fired Comey because of the Russian Federation probe. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was asked about news reports suggesting Trump was mulling letting Mueller go, but said he has not seen evidence he has cause to fire Mueller.
Irish, British PMs to meet to talk Brexit, Northern Ireland crisis
Mr Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, said there was no desire to punish the United Kingdom but "its accounts must be settled". But May, weakened by her election flop, opted to keep Hammond in his job along with other key ministers.
"I think he should let Bob Mueller do his job, do his job independently, and do his job quickly, because I think that that's what he would want to have happen", Ryan told conservative commentator Guy Benson. "Because Comey makes so clear that it's the poison fruit of a deliberate manipulation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation director leaking to The New York Times, deliberately set up this particular situation". Gingrich told The Associated Press in an interview this week that his feelings about him began to change after Comey testified to a Senate panel that he had leaked his personal memos in order to trigger the appointment of a special counsel.
After Comey's testimony, Trump said he had been vindicated because his former FBI director confirmed telling Trump on three occasions that he was not under investigation.
Mueller was named by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein eight days after Comey's dismissal to lead the Russian Federation investigation as a special counsel, a position created to conduct investigations when a normal Justice Department probe would present a conflict of interest or in other extraordinary circumstances.
How reliable Ruddy's comments are is open to question.
The effort to muddy the waters surrounding the investigation is coming amid growing White House concern that the probe could detract from the president's agenda for months or years to come.
If Trump were to make such a move, he would have to order Rosenstein to fire Mueller. Fifty-four percent say they're doing more harm than good by potentially damaging national security.
Spicer, the spokesman, declined to say then that Sessions enjoyed Trump's confidence, though spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said later in the week that the president had confidence "in all of his Cabinet".
Schiff told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Tuesday that "I don't think the Congress would sit still and allow the president to pick his own investigator".
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