White House on edge as Mueller ‘quietly’ pursues Russia probe

WASHINGTON, July 23, (AFP): For two months, Robert Mueller -the lanky, 72-year-old independent prosecutor investigating the Russia scandal -- has worked in virtual silence in a nondescript government office building in downtown Washington.

But even without saying a word, the former FBI director and no-nonsense prosecutor has deeply unnerved the occupants of the White House just eight blocks away, especially President Donald Trump, over where his probe is going.

Mueller has built a team of more than a dozen tough-as-nails investigators, including one expert in flipping mafia witnesses, a money laundering specialist who chased down a corrupt billionaire, and one of the country’s most experienced Supreme Court litigators.

Since May, they have been quietly interviewing witnesses and collecting documents to establish whether there are links between top aides from Trump’s campaign, members of his family, and possibly the president himself and Russian interference in the 2016 election.

After dismissing the probe for months as “ridiculous” and “fake news,” Trump laid bare his concerns this week, lashing out at the Justice Department, from his handpicked Attorney General Jeff Sessions on down the line, over the probe. He took special aim at Mueller, making clear he intends to try to undercut and discredit the man who could bring down his presidency -- and possibly eventually remove him.

In an interview with The New York Times, Trump complained that one day after he interviewed Mueller to replace fired FBI chief James Comey, Mueller instead went and took the job of investigating the Russia scandal.