# Will Trump fire Mueller? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 11, 2018, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191 "2018-04-11T00:03:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/21 "2018-04-11T02:39:12Z")
If Trump replaces Sessions, he doesn’t have to deal with Rosenstein. Rosenstein is only in charge of the investigation because Sessions had to recuse himself - since he was a part of the campaign. Trump REALLY wants to fire Sessions, which would allow Trump to appoint a new Attorney General who would have the authority to shut down the investigation. Except a new appointment requires confirmation by the Senate, and you can be absolutely certain that at least one senator will get the nominee on record pledging not to fire Mueller once he’s confirmed. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/22 "2018-04-11T03:04:12Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > [SNIP]… a new appointment requires confirmation by the Senate, and you can be absolutely certain that at least one senator will get the nominee on record pledging not to fire Mueller once he’s confirmed. Smart money here would be on Lindsey Graham or Grassley being the most likely to try to get that pledge. But, even if they were to get it, there’s nothing to prevent the new AG from ignoring it and still firing Mueller. Graham and Grassley both signaled today this would be fatal but I’ve seen nothing that makes me think it really would be. Firing Mueller would result in more hand-wringing and milquetoast indignation but no real action. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/23 "2018-04-11T03:21:54Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Firing Mueller would result in more hand-wringing and milquetoast indignation but no real action. Until after the midterms (and presuming the Democrats take the House, an admitted IF). In our world, that’s an interminable wait. In historic terms, it’s just the start of a new paragraph. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/24 "2018-04-11T03:47:41Z")
Given that it’s now 36ish hours after Cohen being raided and both Mueller and Rosenstein are still in place, I suspect that: a) He has already ordered for one or both of them to be fired. b) His people refused to do so. So, in end effect, no he won’t fire Mueller. Not for a lack of trying, but because he won’t do it himself and everyone else is trying to protect him. ---
**Author:** ![Skypist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skypist/32/169_2.png) [@Skypist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skypist)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/25 "2018-04-11T04:35:14Z")
I think he’ll try to do it and probably succeed. He can just get Rosenstein and/or Sessions out of there (perhaps by Tweet) and then appoint some sycophant who will agree to get rid of Mueller. However, even if he tries to do it directly, which he’s not supposed to be allowed to do, the Congressional GOP will just say “tsk tsk” and then look the other way. Maybe I’m wrong, but there aren’t too many staff members/advisors/cabinet members left in the WH who have any respect for the rule of law at all, so there’s hardly anyone left there to tell 45 it’s a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/26 "2018-04-11T05:42:31Z")
He fires Rosenstein and anyone else who takes his place that won’t go with firing Mueller and shutting down the investigation. I warned of this before the election. Trump _is_ an authoritarian, contrary to the catcalls of exaggeration by his supporters here. The only hope for actual, little ‘d’ democracy is replacing enough duplicit Republicans to enforce some kind of accountability. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/27 "2018-04-11T05:43:01Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Given that it’s now 36ish hours after Cohen being raided and both Mueller and Rosenstein are still in place, I suspect that: > > a) He has already ordered for one or both of them to be fired. > b) His people refused to do so. > > So, in end effect, no he won’t fire Mueller. Not for a lack of trying, but because he won’t do it himself and everyone else is trying to protect him. Yeah, I think one thing the discussion generally misses so far is the possibility that Trump has already tried to do a Saturday Night Massacre, maybe more than once. I don’t know the odds, but I think it’s a real one. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/28 "2018-04-11T05:51:10Z")
I voted “yes,” I think he will [try to] fire Mueller for the simple reason that Trump has an impulsive nature and lashes out when he is frustrated. Most of the time, he might not be planning to fire Mueller, but all it takes is 5 minutes of middle-of-the-night fury and a Twitter Account and BAM! he’s done it. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/29 "2018-04-11T06:23:46Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Yeah, I think one thing the discussion generally misses so far is the possibility that Trump has already tried to do a Saturday Night Massacre, maybe more than once. I don’t know the odds, but I think it’s a real one. Purportedly, it’s happened twice already. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/30 "2018-04-11T09:41:39Z")
> [@Ann\_Hedonia](#): > > I think that if he fires Mueller that state and federal prosecutors will find a reason to descend of the Trump Organization and Trump Tower like locusts, and they’ll examine every loan application that Donald J Trump or the Trump Organization ever submitted to a financial institution. And every time they find any false information in those applications, they will charge him with a count of bank fraud. And I’m sure the Trump Organization was less than truthful in at least some of their loan applications they way I am sure that the sun will rise tomorrow. Because 1) It’s New York real estate. They all lie about everything. One time in 2008 this caused them to literally almost complete destroy the entire economy of the world. But they still do it. 2.) it’s Donald Trump. > > He’s screwed. He should’ve known better. Because in NY real estate and New York finance you’re allowed to lie your ass off as long as you maintain a thin veneer of plausible deniability and correct the paperwork whenever you get caught. Until you piss off the wrong person or do something atrocious like deciding to raise the price of a life-saving drug by a factor of a thousand or become President and proceed to make an ass of yourself. > > Then the deal is off and you earn what happens when you break the “don’t be a jerk” rule. …which is why he’s going to try and work the Department of Justice first before he actually goes after Mueller. It’s not Mueller who’s in Trump’s cross hairs at the moment; it’s Sessions and Rosenstein. That’s one reason why Pruitt’s troubles are particularly ill-timed. He probably wanted to make his move on Sessions and replace him with Scotty But make no mistake, Trump absolutely will go after Mueller and anyone involved i the investigation. This is a constitutional crisis in the making, a test that pits the rule of law against the rule of a populist. Ultimately, the people in November of 2018 and 2020 will decide who prevails. ---
**Author:** ![Delicious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@Delicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delicious)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/31 "2018-04-11T13:48:43Z")
I voted no. If we accept the premise that Trump is in cahoots with Putin and the investigation is likely to uncover all their dirty dealings, I’d expect different methods to be attempted…fire at Mueller’s office maybe then, when sorting through the ashes, someone finds a surviving hard drive full of child porn. ---
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/32 "2018-04-11T15:16:43Z")
I voted yes. Fox & Friends will tell him it’s the smart move. ---
**Author:** ![Piran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@Piran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Piran)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/33 "2018-04-11T15:22:40Z")
I voted that yes, he will (at least try to) fire Mueller - but as we’ve seen so many times before, the red line marked in the sand by the Republicans in Congress will be walked back… it won’t be enough to make them reprimand him much less hold a vote to indict him for the Senate to hold an impeachment trial. He’s untouchable. Little by little he’s getting more and more power.:eek: ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/34 "2018-04-11T15:32:49Z")
I voted yes, assuming that firing Mueller meant Nixon style Saturday Night Massacre and I’ll think he’ll do it before the midterms because once he’s lost the House, he’s lost his protection. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/35 "2018-04-11T15:39:31Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I voted yes. Fox & Friends will tell him it’s the smart move. Actually: > **[There's a sharp divide in how Trump's staunchest allies are covering the...](https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/theres-sharp-divide-how-trumps-staunchest-allies-are-covering-cohen-raid)** > > Trump’s most avid defenders have split over how to respond to the FBI raid of his lawyer Michael D. Cohen's office and residence.  > [@](#): > > President Donald Trump’s most avid defenders have split over how to respond to the FBI raid of his lawyer Michael D. Cohen’s office and residence. Last night, Fox hosts Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity used their shows to call for action against the investigators while this morning, the hosts and guests of Fox & Friends warned that any such action could have severe consequences for Trump’s administration. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/36 "2018-04-11T16:30:13Z")
I think he will eventually try to fire Mueller but I’m not sure it will be soon. It depends on how much of th Cohen/Trump shenanigans was actually put on paper hand how much they can get redacted under attourny/client privilege. But eventual;y it will reach the point where Mueller will be on the verge of uncovering something that even his base will have a hard time spinning away. At that point Trump will decided its easier to portray a Saturday night massacr as reining in the evil machination of the deep state, which he had to do for the good of the country, than it would be to portray keeping his failing empire afloat by laundering money for Russian Oligarchs as something that had to be done for the good of the country. ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/37 "2018-04-11T17:11:02Z")
So Devin Nunes is threatening to impeach Rosenstein and get him convicted and removed from office. We already know Nunes carries a lot of water for Trump. So is this the play to fire Mueller? Impeach Rosenstein so Trump doesn’t have to fire him. Get the Rosenstein’s replacement to fire Mueller. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/38 "2018-04-11T17:35:10Z")
When the revolution comes, Devin Nunes will be the first up against the wall. _Fuck…that…guy!_ Stranger ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/39 "2018-04-11T17:44:00Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > I voted yes. Fox & Friends will tell him it’s the smart move. It might take a bit - F&F has not decided what to tell him to do in Syria… ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191/40 "2018-04-11T17:50:58Z")
Steele and Unger were talking yesterday about how stupid it is to fire Mueller. Supposing that Trump successfully ousts Bob, the material he has collected won’t be “set on fire.” It will simply be passed to an FBI district – say the Southern District of New York, for example – for them to prosecute. Right now, Mueller has jurisdiction. Get rid of him and you could have a prosecutor go judge shopping and find the most favorable circumstances in which to charge Trump and whoever else. So, successfully firing Mueller would be the stupidest thing to do. That’s why I think Trump will do it. When I think of Trump, I think of this: [Forrest Gump](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msQdUw3jSjM). (Yeah, you know exactly the clip…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-fire-mueller/812191.md?page=3)