President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE on Thursday denied that outgoing White House counsel Don McGahn stopped him from firing special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerCNN's Toobin warns McCabe is in 'perilous condition' with emboldened Trump CNN anchor rips Trump over Stone while evoking Clinton-Lynch tarmac meeting The Hill's 12:30 Report: New Hampshire fallout MORE or Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsRoy Moore sues Alabama over COVID-19 restrictions GOP set to release controversial Biden report Trump's policies on refugees are as simple as ABCs MORE.

"I am very excited about the person who will be taking the place of Don McGahn as White House Councel! I liked Don, but he was NOT responsible for me not firing Bob Mueller or Jeff Sessions. So much Fake Reporting and Fake News!" Trump tweeted.

I am very excited about the person who will be taking the place of Don McGahn as White House Councel! I liked Don, but he was NOT responsible for me not firing Bob Mueller or Jeff Sessions. So much Fake Reporting and Fake News! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2018

The president did not say if another individual prevented him from firing Mueller or Sessions. But the tweet appeared to imply that firing the two men had been discussed in the White House, as reported by multiple media outlets.

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Trump announced in a tweet Wednesday morning that McGahn will depart the White House after Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation. He praised him later in the day as a "very good man."

In a separate tweet Thursday morning, Trump denied reports that his daughter, Ivanka Trump Ivana (Ivanka) Marie TrumpThe Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump stokes fears over November election outcome Special counsel investigating DeVos for potential Hatch Act violation: report Trump, Biden vie for Minnesota MORE, and her husband, Jared Kushner Jared Corey KushnerAbraham Accords: New hope for peace in Middle East Tenants in Kushner building file lawsuit alleging dangerous living conditions Trump hosts Israel, UAE, Bahrain for historic signing MORE, played a role in McGahn's departure.

The New York Times has reported that Trump considered firing Mueller on two separate occasions. He reportedly backed off in June 2017 when McGahn threatened to quit.

Following another Times report that Trump again discussed firing Mueller last December, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters in April that she hadn't spoken with the president about that topic.

Prior to that, the White House said repeatedly for months that Trump had not discussed firing Mueller.

Trump has had an increasingly contentious relationship with Sessions, frequently stating that he would not have nominated the former senator for attorney general if he knew Sessions would recuse himself from the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The Times reported that Trump's relationship with McGahn soured after McGahn failed to stop Sessions from recusing himself.

Republicans and Democrats have warned Trump against firing Sessions, particularly since a recent Fox News interview in which Trump accused his attorney general of failing to properly investigate Democrats.