4/17/2018

FBI/JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/LEGAL/ROBERT MUELLER/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Donald Trump probably can’t fire special counsel Robert Mueller himself. So if he wants to end or limit Mueller’s Russia probe, he’ll need to find someone who will. He may have his man in Solicitor General Noel Francisco, a little-known Trump appointee who happens to have an ax to grind against the FBI — and who could become Mueller’s boss through one angry presidential impulse. Francisco even has a specific grudge against former FBI Director James Comey, whom — much like Trump — he has accused of partisan bias. That has compounded prior concerns among Democrats about Francisco’s political independence and whether he might obey an order to either sack Mueller or constrain his investigation…Many legal experts believe Trump lacks the constitutional power to fire Mueller directly and that he must order the Justice Department to do so. With Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused from the Russia probe, Mueller’s supervisor is Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has told Congress he would fire Mueller only for clear misconduct. Rosenstein has also granted Mueller wide latitude to pursue his investigation — infuriating Trump, who is reportedly considering Rosenstein’s ouster.”

-Josh Meyer, “The man who could fire Mueller,” Politico, April 17, 2018 11:30 am