The CEO of conservative media outlet Newsmax said during an interview Monday that President Trump might fire the special counsel in charge of the investigation into his administration’s ties with Russia.

Chris Ruddy, a longtime Trump pal, told PBS’s Judy Woodruff that Trump is “considering perhaps terminating” Robert Mueller, who was appointed as special counsel after Trump fired FBI director James Comey.

“I think he’s weighing that option,” Ruddy said.

It wasn’t clear whether Ruddy, who speaks with the president often, was basing his remarks on a conversation had had with Trump.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer later insisted that “Mr. Ruddy never spoke to the president regarding this issue.”

Although Ruddy said he thinks” it would be a very significant mistake,” he claimed that there wasn’t a justification for a special counsel.

The ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, Democrat Adam Schiff, responded forcefully by saying Mueller would be brought back “immediately.”

“If President fired Bob Mueller, Congress would immediately re-establish independent counsel and appoint Bob Mueller. Don’t waste our time,” he tweeted.

With Wires