It seems that the USA Today has just dropped the official Trump-Russia collusion bombshell of the day after reporting that, according to Trump's Chief Counsel John Dowd, Trump and Special Counsel Mueller apparently exchange "messages back and forth" on the reg.
"He appreciates what Bob Mueller is doing,'' Trump's chief counsel John Dowd told USA TODAY in an interview Tuesday. "He asked me to share that with him and that's what I've done.''
Trump's legal team has been in contact with Mueller's office, and Dowd says he has passed along the president's messages expressing “appreciation and greetings’’ to the special counsel.
“The president has sent messages back and forth,’’ Dowd said, declining to elaborate further.
Of course, after Trump's rather 'complicated' relationship with Comey ended with a nasty separation and a series of Congressional hearings, we're going to go out on a limb and assume that Democrats on the various Congressional intelligence committees aren't going to be terribly happy about this new revelation. That said, Dowd confirmed that "all communication with Mueller have been proper"...which we're sure Democrats will take at face value.
Dowd has said all communications with Mueller have been proper.
“We get along well with Bob Mueller; our communications have been constructive,’’ the attorney said. “But it is important that our communications remain confidential. It’s important that there not be any breakdown in that trust.’’
Of course, this is a rather interesting development in light of the fact that the mainstream media has been speculating for weeks now that Trump may be looking to unilaterally fire Mueller...a move which Dowd says has "never been on the table."
For weeks, Washington political circles have been on high alert for the possibility the president could try to get rid of Mueller or otherwise wrest control of the Russia probe he denounces as a "hoax."
Yet in a sign that forcing out the former FBI director overseeing the federal Russia investigation is politically untenable, a growing number of government officials have moved to tamp down any talk of ousting Mueller – including, apparently Trump himself.
“That’s never been on the table, never,’’ Dowd said of the possibility Trump might try to remove the special counsel. “It’s a manifestation of the media. My dealings with Bob Mueller have always been cordial, respectful — the way it should be."
Meanwhile, our cynical side can't help but think that if one were to want to raise suspicions among Democrats as to Mueller's true impartiality thus causing "conflict of interest" rumblings on the left...this could be a clever approach to get rid of Mueller without be blamed.
Then again, it could all be nothing more than professional "back and forth" between a Special Counsel looking for answers and a White House happy to oblige...as shocking, and uninteresting, as that may sound.