Doesnt Fire Robert Mueller News Today

Senate confirmed. again, putting aside the question as to whether or not legally mr. whitaker can occupy the position, i think the optics are not very good for a department from which my perspective has been under siege for almost two years with all the constant criticism of jeff sessions, with the constant criticism and questioning of the mueller investigation. to me, you know, i think the last thing the department needs is more controversy about things that are happening within the department ...

Our reporting is that whitaker doesnt seem like hes about to recuse himself. do you feel if its recommended by the career ethics lawyers to recuse that he should? >> absolutely. thats a role of the career ethics lawyers, they have the experience. you obtain credibility, and i think mr. whitaker comes into the position with limited credibility and to ignore the advise of the career lawyers, and that diminishes his ability to lead the department as long as the president wants him in that position....

Other reason hewould have been chosen? >> absolutely not. that is the only reason why he would be chosen for this job, because hes a critic of the mueller office. >> you are the white house reporter. is the thinking that the president was waiting until the moment that he knew republicans had secured the senate in order to do this? >> i think thats part of it. i think the president also wanted to wait until after the midterms because he was hearing from a number of different republican leaders, ...

This morning the fate of robert muellers russia investigation hangs in the balance after president trump fired the attorney general, jeff sessions, and replaced him at least for the time being with the chief of staff at the justice department, matthew whitaker. he takes over as acting attorney general. this means he is overseeing the special counsels russia probe, and whitaker is on record opposi opposing mueller. whitaker not only opposed the investigation, but hes basically provided a road map...

Subpoena documents that he might otherwise try to quash related to the mueller investigation. >> the president explained what he thinks he can do in terms of mueller and firing him. so listen to this. >> i could fire everybody right now, but i dont want to stop it because politically i dont like stopping it. its a disgrace. it should have never been started because there was no crime. it is -- everybody has conflicts, they all have conflicts over there that are beyond anything anybody has ever s...

The question would be is there now a political check on him with the democratic house, you know, which -- i mean, having written about this, nancy pelosi and the tpnew chairman of the judiciary committee do not want to go to impeachment and with a republican senate its impossible. however, if robert mueller gets fired they will find it impossible to stop the impeachment in the house of representatives. >> they could call robert mueller has a witness in the house, and they can call any justice de...

This, which is maybe the president thinks he must do this? maybe he thinks robert mueller is getting close to something? we know there has been a tremendous amount of activity about roger stone, and donald trump, jr. has not been contacted in any way. >> the president has had little visibility into what mueller knows and what he has and this move is one way the president will be able to get a better view of what mueller is up to. the president said multiple times saying i could run this investig...

Listen. >> i can see a scenario where jeff sessions is replaced with a recess appointment and that attorney general doesnt fire robert mueller but produces a budget so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt. >> take away the money and refuse to issue indictments. whitaker has the road map and we know, in fact, the will in the past, to stop parts of this investigation. >> lets be clear. the reason why he was appointed was not because of his distinguished record as the u.s. attorney in...

Him to do it. it doesnt mean he has to. >> my thanks to the panel. that does it for our our. hi, chuck. >> hi, nicole. same as it ever was. nothing going on. >> have a good show. >> if its thursday, president trump continues to lash out. good evening, im chuck todd back in washington. just two days after the midterms, it was only two days ago that you went to the polls. and we appear to be dealing with a power who feels empowered and paranoid. he fired his attorney general and replaced him with ...

The more important point is whether or not this is technically legal is so out of the ordinary. it is just not proper to install this person not in the line of succession to take over as attorney general. >> one thing we do know about the president is he is unafraid of moving forward on dubious things. we saw that with dara. >> he doesnt mind the legal. >> his whole life has been spent in court. he has the money and now the aur. >> heres what i dont understand at the white house. if they wanted ...