Trump reportedly ordered special counsel Robert Mueller’s firing in June

NEW YORK—President Donald Trump wanted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether his campaign colluded with Russian officials in the election, last June but didn’t after the White House counsel threatened to quit, according to a report.

White House counsel Don McGahn refused Trump’s order to ask the Justice Department to fire Mueller, and was worried the axing would raise more questions about the administration’s potential involvement with Russia, The New York Times reported Thursday citing sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Mueller became aware the president wanted him fired through interviews his investigators had with current and former White House officials.

Trump backed out of the decision after McGahn told White House officials that the president wouldn’t follow through, the Times reported.

The president’s legal team was also trying to dig for possible conflict-of-interest issues relating to Mueller during that time.

Trump, while discussing with his advisers, suggested the dismissal of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and to hire another Department of Justice official to oversee the Russia investigation.

Rosenstein has overseen Mueller’s investigation after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself last March, a move that has strained Sessions’ and the president’s relationship.

Mueller’s appointment as special counsel by Rosenstein happened last May after Trump fired ex-FBI Director James Comey over what Trump claimed at the time was Comey’s handling of the Hillary Clinton email server investigation.

Mueller, so far, has filed charges against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, his associate Rick Gates and ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn in his probe.

The president has held back criticisms of Mueller since he hired lawyer Ty Cobb, a Washington veteran, who advised him he wouldn’t gain anything from it.

Trump has slammed Mueller’s investigation as a “witch hunt” and denied any collusion with Russia.

Cobb, in efforts to calm Trump down, told him the inquiry was almost over, according to the Times.

“We decline to comment out of respect for the Office of the Special Counsel and its process,” Cobb said in a statement to the newspaper.

Last week, Mueller’s team met with Sessions and was questioned for several hours as part of the probe, the Times reported Tuesday.