Trump Denies Report That He Tried to Fire Mueller President Trump denied the report from The New York Times, which said White House counsel Don McGahn refused to order the Justice Department to fire Mueller because he disagreed with the President's reasoning. Donald Trump The Washington Post reports that Trump had actually tried to fire Mueller last summer, who is the special counsel leading an investigation into the Trump campaign and Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Mueller, who was appointed in late May, expanded his probe to include a potential obstruction of justice case in June. The report states Trump backed off once McGahn threatened to resign.