President Trump said on Thursday that dismissing special counsel Robert Mueller isn’t something that’s been on his mind.
“I haven’t given it any thought,” he told reporters in Bedminster, N.J. He went on to refer to reports that suggest Trump might try to oust Mueller, even though that is something only Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein has the authority to do directly.
“I’ve been reading about it from you people. You say, ‘Oh, I’m going to dismiss him.’ No, I’m not dismissing anybody,” he said.
Mueller was appointed special counsel by Rosenstein in May, after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any Russia-related investigations. Mueller’s team is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible ties to the Trump campaign, and has reportedly expanded its search to look at Trump’s financial history, among other things.
Trump denies any collusion, calling Mueller’s probe a “witch hunt.” Still, on Thursday, he encouraged cooperation with the investigation.
“We have a situation that’s very unusual. There was no collusion between us and Russia. In fact, the opposite. Russia spent a lot of money on fighting me,” he said. “We have an investigation of something that never took place. And all I say is work with them, because this is an event that never took place.”
He also said he wants the Senate and House panels that are conducting similar to investigations to “come out with their findings.”
