Even as President Donald Trump’s team tries to undermine the various probes, special counsel Robert Mueller has been widely praised by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, complicating the White House’s messaging effort. | J. Scott Apllewhite/AP Photo White House Trump team’s attacks on Mueller rattle Washington The president and his allies have ramped up their warnings against the special counsel in recent days.

The White House is rapidly ratcheting up its public threats against special counsel Robert Mueller and his team, raising concerns among Democrats and Republicans alike across Washington.

President Donald Trump continues to deride Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election as a “witch hunt,” and warned the longtime prosecutor in a Wednesday interview with the New York Times to stay away from investigating his family’s finances, saying it would be a “violation.”


The president also pushed the notion that some members of Mueller’s team, who have previously donated to Democratic campaigns, are ethically compromised. His surrogates have pushed similar talking points, while White House deputy press secretary Sarah Sanders reiterated Thursday that Trump retains the right to remove Mueller.

The prospect of Trump firing the special counsel sends shivers across Capitol Hill, with one senior Republican congressional aide telling POLITICO on Friday that the only reason he could think of for such a move would be “trying to obstruct justice.”

“He is a revered figure on the Hill, he is someone who has a sterling reputation,” the aide said of Mueller. “No one really questions his integrity.”

Trump’s allies defended the various tactics on Friday.

“People should know what folks’ pasts and their motivations and their political motivations are. These weren't minor donations,” Kellyanne Conway, a senior White House aide, told Fox News on Friday about Mueller’s team. “Now, whether that prejudices them one way or the other in the investigation remains to be seen. But it is relevant information for people to have.”

“If you’re going to be sued or are sued, you’re always going to look for conflicts with the judge, with prosecutors, with witnesses,” said Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.), an early Trump supporter, in an interview with CNN. “I think this is nothing more than standard practice when you’re involved in litigation or potential litigation.”

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The Trump team’s defense of the Mueller attacks come after a flurry of reports emerged Thursday evening that the president’s lawyers and aides were stockpiling information against Mueller and his team to discredit the probe and possibly lay the groundwork for firing him.

The intensified effort also comes before two highly anticipated congressional appearances next week – Trump son-in-law and top adviser Jared Kushner is due to testify behind closed doors to the Senate Intelligence Committee, while former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Donald Trump Jr. are scheduled to testify publicly before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

But even as Trump’s team tries to undermine the various probes, Mueller has been widely praised by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, complicating the White House’s messaging effort.

“I understand where they’re going, they’re moving toward trying to discredit Mueller,” the GOP aide said, and called the tactic “ridiculous.”

Trump’s allies have also enthusiastically embraced Trump’s warning that Mueller must limit the scope of his investigation and avoid looking at the Trump family’s financial dealings.

“The scope is going to have to stay within his mandate,” Jay Sekulow, one of Trump’s outside lawyers, told the Washington Post on Thursday. “If there’s drifting, we’re going to object.”

Sanders had also tried to drive that point home to reporters on Thursday during the daily briefing, which has been held off camera since June 29.

“The point [Trump]'s trying to make is that the clear purpose of the Russia investigation is to review Russia's meddling in the election, and that that should be the focus of the investigation. Nothing beyond that,” Sanders said. “The President is making it clear that the special counsel should not move outside the scope of the investigation.”

And Collins backed up that position on Friday. “I would hope that Mueller doesn't cross the line into tax returns,” Collins said on CNN. “And he should let go of some of the business things.”

The laying of the groundwork for attacks on Mueller is not the only thing raising concern on Capitol Hill as Trump continues to obsess over the Russia investigation. The Washington Post reported on Thursday that Trump’s legal team is exploring the limits of the president’s pardon power, including whether or not he could potentially pardon himself, as well as his aides and family members.

That prospect immediately raised protests from Democrats, with Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, calling on Trump to “rule out categorically” the prospect of pardons.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the Senate’s Intelligence Committee, said pardons at this point would be “crossing a fundamental line.”

Louis Nelson, Diamond Naga Siu and Austin Wright contributed reporting.