Rosenstein also was surprised when he learned that the White House was portraying the firing as Rosenstein's idea. Trump had wanted Mueller fired at one point, and was irate over Sessions' recusal from overseeing the Mueller investigation , Mueller ultimately found. Manafort's interview notes from the Mueller investigation are not yet publicly available. I've covered you at the White House," Manafort had said to Gates, Mueller learned in April 2018. "Manafort told Gates it was stupid to plead and that he would get a better deal down the road," the memos state.

Source: CNN December 02, 2019 23:00 UTC