January 25, 2018 07:19 PM UTC

BREAKING: Trump Tried to Fire Mueller in June

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• by: Colorado Pols

FRIDAY UPDATE: This story has now been confirmed by multiple news outlets, from CNN to…FOX News:

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Absolutely YUGE news early this evening from the New York Times:

President Trump ordered the firing last June of Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation, according to four people told of the matter, but ultimately backed down after the White House counsel threatened to resign rather than carry out the directive.

The West Wing confrontation marks the first time Mr. Trump is known to have tried to fire the special counsel. Mr. Mueller learned about the episode in recent months as his investigators interviewed current and former senior White House officials in his inquiry into whether the president obstructed justice.

Amid the first wave of news media reports that Mr. Mueller was examining a possible obstruction case, the president began to argue that Mr. Mueller had three conflicts of interest that disqualified him from overseeing the investigation, two of the people said…

…After receiving the president’s order to fire Mr. Mueller, the White House counsel, Donald F. McGahn II, refused to ask the Justice Department to dismiss the special counsel, saying he would quit instead, the people said. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing a continuing investigation.

Needless to say, this is the kind of story that should be career-ending, much like the Saturday Night Massacre that kicked off the Watergate scandal and ultimately led to the resignation of President Nixon.