MSNBC reporter Geoff Bennett on Friday said the mood at the White House is “dour” and the president’s aides are trying to talk him out of shutting down the Mueller investigation, as speculation about possible indictments grows.

“People close to the president suggest that the mood is pretty dour in and around the West Wing, at least as it relates to Russian investigation,” Bennett said, noting that the special counsel’s “no-comment period” during the mid-terms has passed.

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“I can tell you too that people close to the president have been imploring him not to impede or downright shut down the investigation,” he added, saying staff is trying to tailor “their pitch” to what the president wants to hear.

“They are not saying ‘don’t shut down the investigation because it would tip the country into a constitutional crisis’,” Bennett said, calling to mind a parent negotiating with an angry toddler. “What they’re saying is ‘you have been compliant so far, why not let this thing play out’. And so far the president has been receptive to it.”

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