On Monday, luxuriating in the glow of a keenly trained bank of news cameras, Donald Trump presided over his first full Cabinet meeting, a ceremony described by New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush as “the most exquisitely awkward public event I’ve ever seen.” One by one, in a display of choking effulgence, Trump’s team pledged loyalty. “What an incredible honor it is to lead the Department of Health and Human Services at this pivotal time under your leadership,” gushed Tom Price, secretary of health and human services, shortly after the Republican health-care bill perilously collapsed. “My hat’s off to you,” squeaked Secretary of Energy Rick Perry, in the wake of Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. With the concept of irony safely strangled, Trump’s zany outburst of praise for his own presidency was greeted with somber affinity. “I think we’ve been about as active as you can possibly be and at a just about record-setting pace,” he said.

It is in this environment of slavish sycophancy that the rumor that Trump is considering firing special counsel Robert S. Mueller, an otherwise unthinkable attack on the independence of the Justice Department, quickly gained currency, igniting a Monday evening media firestorm. The claim, notably, did not come from the White House but Christopher Ruddy, chief executive of Newsmax media and a longtime friend of Trump. Speaking in an interview with PBS on Monday, Ruddy said the president was “considering, perhaps, terminating the special counsel” because of concerns about conflicts of interest. “He’s weighing that option,” said Ruddy. “I personally think it would be a very significant mistake—even though I don’t think there’s a justification . . . for a special counsel in this case.”

Hours after the interview, White House press secretary Sean Spicer released a statement that did not deny the claim, but said, firmly yet evasively, “Mr. Ruddy never spoke to the president regarding this issue. With respect to this subject, only the president or his attorneys are authorized to comment.” It has been suggested that Ruddy based his judgment on comments made over the weekend by members of Trump’s personal legal team.

Trump, of course, is known for his propensity to throw flimsy, anger-fueled threats at members of his team, which are often leaked. For weeks, speculation of an imminent senior staff reshuffle has plagued the White House, which perhaps accounts for Reince Priebus, Trump’s chief of staff, who has allegedly been given an ultimatum to get the White House under control or lose his job, declaring that it is a “blessing” to work for the president at the aforementioned communion of the Trumpian cult.

At the same time, pressure has been building on the White House from the far right to fight back harder against Mueller as the Justice Department closes in on Trump and his inner circle. “Republicans are delusional if they think the special counsel is going to be fair,” tweeted former House speaker and current Trump biographer Newt Gingrich. “Time to rethink.” Conservative gadfly Ann Coulter argued, “Now that we FINALLY got Comey to admit Trump not under investigation, Sessions should fire Mueller. Why do we need a special counsel now?” Other Trump allies oppose the investigation through a thread of interlinked objections: that Mueller’s probe is unnecessary, that he is hiring an assemblage of biased attorneys who have donated to the Democrats in the past, and that his close relationship with Comey is compromising. In a volley of hostility, last week media personality Rush Limbaugh took to the radio endorsing the suggestion for Trump to fire Mueller. Mark Levin, another radio host, also called for his firing. “Mueller must step aside,” he wrote on Facebook over the weekend.