In the end, President Donald Trump backed down from firing Mueller in June after White House counsel Don McGahn threatened to resign. | Evan Vucci/AP Photo Trump After Dark: What Trump Muelled edition

He almost did it.

In June, as President Donald Trump publicly fumed about special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, he decided he would fire him — only to have his top lawyer threaten to resign if he did, POLITICO’s Darren Samuelsohn and Josh Meyer report.


In the end, Trump backed down from firing Mueller in June after White House counsel Don McGahn threatened to resign. But the episode, which was first reported by the New York Times, comes as Mueller’s investigation has ramped up with his office completing interviews with White House senior staff and looking to interview Trump himself.

“While Trump has repeatedly hinted at his frustration with the special counsel investigation, arguing there is zero evidence of collusion between his campaign and Russia, he has stopped short of publicly calling for his firing. At an impromptu press conference on Wednesday, Trump said he was ‘looking forward’ to speaking to Mueller’s team.”

Neither McGahn, nor Trump had any comment on the story.

Elsewhere in President Trump’s orbit:

DREAM WEAVER: The White House offered an immigration compromise today, floating a pathway to citizenship or 1.8 million undocumented immigrants along with $25 billion for a border wall.

DAVOS FROM REALITY: The world watched in apprehension as President Trump made his way to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland today.

BITS AND BOB: Before it came out that he wanted to fire Mueller, President Trump hasn’t exactly been shy about talking about him or his investigation. Here are five times he made public comments about it.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH?: Former Vice President Al Gore, whose politics do not neatly align with President Trump, defended Trump’s decision to impose solar tariffs

MAN INSIDE: A filing from Paul Manafort’s legal team suggests that prosecutors may have had an informant inside of the former Trump campaign chairman’s operation.

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RELEASE THE MEMO?: The majority Republicans on the House intelligence committee seem to support releasing to President Trump a controversial memo outlining purported abuses of FBI power, despite the Justice Department’s objections.

MO GITMO: President Trump plans to sign a memo that will keep the U.S. facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba open.

NO ‘HONESTY’: The Intercept reports that the NSA has removed the words “openness” and “honesty” from its written mission on its website.

BOWLED OVER, NO GOGH: The Washington Post reports that the White House requested a painting of Vincent Van Gogh from the Guggenheim — and the museum counter offered a fully functioning, 18-carat gold toilet.

There you have it. You’re caught up on the Trump administration. Thursday is finished.

