Debunking Mueller’s ‘Conflicts’
The Russia report released April 18 contradicts President Donald Trump’s claims that special counsel Robert Mueller had two conflicts of interest that prevented him from conducting an impartial investigation:
- Former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon told investigators that contrary to Trump’s repeated claims that he interviewed Mueller to be FBI director but turned him down, it was the White House that invited Mueller to the Oval Office to “offer a perspective on the institution of the FBI.” Mueller “did not come in looking for the job,” Bannon said.
- The Mueller report also details correspondence between the Mueller family and officials at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. Far from being a “nasty” and “contentious” dispute over membership fees, as the president has repeatedly suggested, the correspondence indicates a routine and drama-free departure from the club.
According to the report, in the days after Mueller special counsel on May 17, 2017, Trump complained to advisers that Muller had conflicts of interest. Trump said those included that “Mueller had interviewed for the FBI Director position shortly before being appointed as Special Counsel, that he had worked for a law firm that represented people affiliated with the President, and that Mueller had disputed certain fees relating to his membership in a Trump golf course in Northern Virginia,” the report reads.
