Trump Aides, Seeking Leverage, Investigate Mueller’s Investigators
During an interview with on Wednesday, Mr. Trump said he was aware
that members of Mr. Mueller’s team had potential conflicts of interest and would make the information available “at some point.”
Mr. Trump also said Mr. Mueller would be going outside his mandate if he begins investigating
matters unrelated to Russia, like the president’s personal finances.
By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT, MAGGIE HABERMAN and MATT APUZZOJULY 20, 2017
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s lawyers and aides are scouring the professional
and political backgrounds of investigators hired by the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, looking for conflicts of interest they could use to discredit the investigation — or even build a case to fire Mr. Mueller or get some members of his team recused, according to three people with knowledge of the research effort.
The effort to investigate the investigators is another sign of a looming showdown between Mr. Trump
and Mr. Mueller, who has assembled a team of high-powered prosecutors and agents to examine whether any of Mr. Trump’s advisers aided Russia’s campaign to disrupt last year’s presidential election.
A lawyer for Mr. Trump, Jay Sekulow, declined to address the potential conflicts he
and the other lawyers for Mr. Trump have uncovered about Mr. Mueller’s team.
Both Mr. Trump and his aides have said publicly they are watching closely to ensure
Mr. Mueller’s investigation remains narrowly focused on last year’s election.