President Trump on Friday disputed former White House Counsel Don McGahn’s claim that the president ordered him to fire Robert Mueller in 2017, saying he could have axed the special counsel himself if he’d wanted.
“I never told Don McGahn to fire Mueller,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “If I wanted to fire Mueller I would have done it myself. … I had the right to.”
He added, “I’m a student of history, I see what you get when you fire people.”
The Mueller report said Mr. McGahn, who testified for about 30 hours in the Russia probe, told investigators that the president ordered him to tell Justice Department officials in 2017 to fire the special counsel. Mr. McGahn said he did not relay that message.
Democrats are pointing to his testimony as one of several examples that the president tried to obstruct justice.
The president said of Mr. McGahn’s testimony, “Obviously McGahn thought he testified fine, because he was with the administration a long time after that.” He left his post in October.
The president has said he’ll fight a subpoena that Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have issued for Mr. McGahn to testify in their own investigation into possible obstruction.
Asked about the subpoena, the president said, “What we’re doing in the history of our country, there’s never been a president that’s been more transparent than me. With all of this transparency, we finished no collusion no obstruction. … And then I get out and the first thing they say, ’let’s do it again.’”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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