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In May 2017, former F.B.I director Robert Mueller was appointed as special counsel to investigate potential Russian collusion in the Trump campaign. Since then, rumors have swirled that the president wanted him fired.  According to a New York Times report published on Thursday, President Trump did try to fire Mueller in June 2017, but was thwarted by his White House counsel Donald McGahn, who threatened to resign in opposition to the move.   

Meanwhile, Trump advisers and conservatives have recently hurled accusations at the FBI, saying the investigation and the institution itself are marred by partisan politics aimed at overthrowing the president. They point to a classified memo which alleges surveillance abuse by the FBI.

Joining The Takeaway to make sense of the latest news in the Russia investigation are Tom LoBianco, a national political reporter covering the Trump-Russia investigations, with a focus on the White House, for the Associated Press, and Ryan Goodman, a former special counsel at the Department of Defense, professor at NYU School of Law and editor-in-chief of “Just Security.”

This segment is hosted by Todd Zwillich.