President Donald Trump wanted to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller in June of last year, but backed off when his White House counsel threatened to resign, The New York Times reported Thursday.
It is the first known instance of Trump seeking to fire Mueller, who is leading an investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether there was any collusion with the Trump campaign, The Times reported.
The Times, which first reported the account, cited four people told of the matter that the newspaper did not name in its report. The Washington Post later said it confirmed the account with two sources. NBC News has not verified the report.
The newspaper, citing two of those people, reported that Trump had argued that Mueller had conflicts of interest in the case that disqualified him from overseeing the investigation.
Those reasons reportedly included: a past dispute allegedly involving Mueller and over fees at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, when Mueller was FBI director; that Mueller could not be impartial because he had most recently worked for the law firm that previously represented the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner; and because Mueller had had been interviewed to return as the F.B.I. director the day before he was appointed special counsel in May.
Related: Trump says he is willing to speak to Mueller ‘under oath’
The Times reported that White House Counsel Don McGahn “refused to ask the Justice Department to dismiss the special counsel, saying he would quit instead,” and that McGahn warned Trump that firing Mueller would have a catastrophic effect on his presidency.
Trump has called the investigation into potential collusion between Trump campaign and Russia a “hoax” and “witch hunt.” Trump has denied any collusion took place.
Mueller was appointed to head the investigation in May by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. Rosenstein appointed Mueller because Attorney General Jeff Sessions had recused himself.
Mueller led the FBI for 12 years under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
Four people connected to Trump or the campaign have been charged or pleaded guilty in connection with Mueller’s probe.
Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates were indicted in October on charges related to alleged money laundering from before they were part of the Trump campaign. They have pleaded not guilty.
Former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos has pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI; and Trump’s former national security adviser Michael Flynn in December pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI.
Neither the president’s attorney, Ty Cobb, nor the White House immediately responded to a request for comment from NBC News. The Times’ story was published when much of the White House staff was in Davos, Switzerland, where the president is attending an economic forum
Cobb said in a statement to the Times: “We decline to comment out of respect for the Office of the Special Counsel and its process,” the newspaper reported.