Reports that Donald Trump 'tried to fire Robert Mueller' are ominous for the White House

The great Russia investigation has overshadowed and imperilled the Trump Presidency since its earliest days.

Overnight, it has taken a dramatic turn. Ominous for the White House. Shocking in the view of Democrats. Jaw dropping to those who follow the probe closely.

It is being reported - first by the New York Times and now by multiple outlets - that back in the summer Donald Trump tried to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel who is investigating allegations that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

The firing didn’t happen - but only because Trump’s lawyer threatened to resign rather than back the President.

This morning in Davos, the President emphatically denied the claim. Fake news, he called it. That may not carry much weight. The reporting has multiple sources.

And if the original overnight report is accurate - and this is the key point - the President wanted to do it. He was prepared to trigger a massive constitutional crisis. That’s because the President can’t fire an independent investigator. So it would have left his presidency in chaos and huge legal questions swirling around Trump’s future.

It begs multiple questions:

  • If Trump was prepared to risk his Presidency over this, what does Mueller know and what is Trump trying to hide?

  • Who leaked the story and why? Some are suggesting that Trump is again thinking of trying to destroy Mueller and therefore White House advisers have leaked the story to show Trump what political carnage it would cause.

In the next week or two, Mueller will interview - probably under oath - the President of the United States. Credit: PA

There are few things that can destroy a Presidency. Firing a special prosecutor - as Richard Nixon found out - is one way to get there.

Overnight, Democrats are rallying to Mueller’s defence, trying to throw him a shield.

In the next week or two, Mueller will interview - probably under oath - the President of the United States. To call that encounter “significant and consequential” - as many have - may now be the greatest understatement since, well, Watergate.

And there’s more. Eight times since the summer White House advisers have explicitly denied there were moves underway to fire Mueller. So - assuming the story is true - the White House has lied to the press and the American people. Repeatedly.