A close friend of Donald Trump's said the president "is considering perhaps terminating" special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, fueling speculation that has been building in Washington that Trump could intensify the struggle over the Russia investigation. Who is Christopher Ruddy, and why does he know what the president is thinking?>>Whether Trump has the legal authority to fire Mueller is untested. Justice Department regulations say that a special counsel can be fired by the attorney general "for cause." Gen. Rod Rosenstein implied that Mueller could not be fired directly by the president. Ruddy also said that Trump had initially approached Mueller about becoming FBI director after Trump fired James B. Comey last month.

Source: Los Angeles Times June 13, 2017 01:34 UTC