Susan Collins, R-Maine, asked Rosenstein what he would do if the president asked him to fire Mueller.
Former United States attorney Barbara McQuade, who served under the Barack Obama administration, told the Daily Beast if Trump fired Mueller "and it could be shown that his goal was to impede the investigation, it could be additional evidence of obstruction of justice". Trump was especially outraged by Comey's admission last week that he had leaked a memo with details of his interactions with the president in hopes of spurring the appointment of a special counsel.
"I think he's weighing that option", Ruddy said. If there were not good cause, it wouldn't matter to me what anybody says.
"I think it would be a mistake to fire Mueller, but I also think the basis of his investigation is flim-flam", he said. "I am not going to follow any orders unless I believe those are proper and appropriate orders".
Even if Trump did want to fire Mueller, it is far from clear that he would be able to do so - at least not very easily. That, to me, is the smartest thing to do, the best thing to do, and that's what I think hopefully will happen.
Mueller was named special counsel a week after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, who had been handling the Russian probe.
Gingrich said that he wrote his new book, "Understanding Trump", because "Trump represents a different world" than the "world of Washington".
"I think that he should be more cognizant of making sure that the people who come to work with him are non-partisan, for his own credibility", Bennett said of Mueller.
Carnage at US Open as world's top three sent packing
The greens, predictably, had become quicker in the scorching sun and the pins, even more predictably, were not as generously set. The American defending champion followed up his three-over 75 with a 73 as he failed to reach the weekend at Erin Hills .
"Director Mueller is going to have the full independence he needs to conduct that investigation properly".
Mueller, who was appointed to oversee the investigation last month, was roundly praised by Democrats and Republicans as the right person for the job, but Trump was not pleased.
The two men worked closely together in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, attacks when Mueller was Federal Bureau of Investigation director and Comey was a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.
There was grumbling among some members of Congress. Rep. Kevin Cramer said he believed Mueller's investigation should be dissolved because there is no evidence of collusion between the Trump administration and Russian Federation.
The talk about dismissing Mueller appeared to be coming from Trump allies - including some close to the White House strategist Steve Bannon - who are increasingly frustrated over the prospect of a long inquiry. "And I'm not going to speculate on what he will or will not do", Sekulow said.
Ruddy was at the White House on Monday (Tuesday NZT) to meet with White House aides, but did not speak with the president, Press Secretary Sean Spicer said.
Rosenstein's testimony was in less than flawless alignment with what White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Air Force One as she proceeded to undercut the deputy attorney general.
Peter Carr, a spokesman for Mueller, declined to comment on the issues Gingrich and others have raised.
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