09 August, 2017
"The president has sent messages back and forth".
"We get along well with Bob Mueller; our communications have been constructive", the attorney said.
Trump special counsel John Dowd confirmed in an interview that he has "been in contact with Mueller's office" on Trump's behalf to send the president's "greetings".
Trump has a history of critical statements of the special counsel, attacking him on Twitter for his friendship with fired FBI Director James Comey and for the probity of his investigation into ties between Russian Federation and Trump's presidential campaign, which Trump has repeatedly called a "witch hunt". Mueller was appointed as special counsel for the investigation shortly after that move. "He asked me to share that with him and that's what I've done", Dowd told USA Today.
"You are witnessing the single greatest WITCH HUNT in American political history - led by some very bad and conflicted people!" Doing so paved the way for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to appoint Mueller to the special counsel position in May, days after James Comey was sacked as Federal Bureau of Investigation director.
Trump has also discussed ways to fire Mueller, according to various news reports based on unnamed White House officials.
But Dowd denies that Trump has considered firing Mueller.
"That's never been on the table, never, " Dowd said of the possibility Trump might try to remove the special counsel. "It's a manifestation of the media".
Despite cooperation and the president's apparent "appreciation", he and allies have openly criticized Mueller. Mueller and Comey worked closely together when they served as FBI Director and Deputy Attorney General, respectively, under President George W. Bush.
