An Attorney for President Trump has vehemently denied rumors that special counsel Robert Mueller will be fired over revelations of politically motivated malfeasance by the FBI towards Hillary Clinton and against Donald Trump, including disturbing text messages which were sent between top FBI investigators implying the Trump-Russia investigation may have been launched as an "insurance" policy in the event Trump won the 2016 election. Furthermore, GOP lawmakers have asserted that FBI top brass relied on a salacious and unverified "dossier" to launch the Trump-Russia investigation. Also noted by critics is the fact that Robert Mueller's "right hand man," Aaron Zebley represented Clinton IT staffer Justin Cooper - a Bill Clinton aide who "jerry-rigged" Hillary Clinton's "private, illegal" server in her Chappaqua home.
Peter Strzok, Robert Mueller, Ty Cobb
Despite all of that, Trump attorney Ty Cobb told Politico, "As the White House has repeatedly and emphatically said for months, there is no consideration at the White House of terminating the special counsel.”
Earlier in the day we reported that Trump transition team attorney Kory Langhofer sent a seven-page complaint to House and Senate oversight committees investigating the 2016 election to lodge a complaint that the special counsel improperly obtained "many tens of thousands" of emails from the Trump transition team from the General Services Administration - the government agency responsible for setting up and administering the transition email system which uses a "ptt.gov" address. Kanghofer says these emails were obtained through "unlawful conduct," and that the Trump team had been segregating emails with "Executive Privilege" in anticipation of giving the rest to Mueller's team.
On Friday, Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said there was a rumor floating around DC that President Trump will fire Mueller before Christmas, but after congress leaves for winter recess.
“The rumor on the Hill when I left yesterday was that the president was going to make a significant speech at the end of next week. And on Dec. 22, when we are out of D.C., he was going to fire Robert Mueller," Speier told California's KQED News.
"We can read between the lines I think," Speier told KQED, adding "I believe this president wants all of this shut down. He wants to shut down these investigations, and he wants to fire special counsel Mueller."
Speier joined Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) over concerns that the House Intelligence Committee's Russia investigation would be shut down by the end of the year.
Reps Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Schiff shot off a series of nine tweets explaining why he's "increasingly worried Republicans will shut down the House Intelligence Committee investigation," pointing to the fact that "Republicans have scheduled no witnesses after next Friday and none in 2017. We have dozens of outstanding witnesses on key aspects of our investigation that they refuse to contact and many document requests they continue to sit on."
Read the rest by clicking on Schiff's tweet and scrolling down.
I’m increasingly worried Republicans will shut down the House Intelligence Committee investigation at the end of the month.
Here’s why:
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) December 15, 2017
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders denied rumors that President Trump was considering firing Mueller in October, stating "There is no intention or plan to make any changes in regards to the special counsel," adding "I think we should let the process play through before we start looking at that."
Perhaps GOP lawmakers would be more comfortable with Mueller's special counsel if Attorney General Jeff Sessions would appoint a second special counsel to investigate the FBI? Alas, it looks like that may be nothing more than wishful thinking for the time being.