Scaramucci: Report Trump ordered Mueller fired ‘totally irrelevant’ because Trump didn’t fire him

Former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci slammed reports that President Trump attempted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller last year, saying they were “totally irrelevant” because Trump didn’t end up firing Mueller.

CNN’s Chris Cuomo asked Scaramucci Thursday if he knew Trump had attempted to fire Mueller when Scaramucci said last month that Trump was “too smart” to fire the special counsel.

“I actually didn’t know, but it’s totally irrelevant because he didn’t fire Mueller,” Scaramucci said. “I find it very ironic that this information is coming out while he’s here in Davos, while he’s had great fanfare … [and] I would love to get a look at somebody like Steve Bannon’s phone records to see who he’s talking to and how this information is out there.”

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“[The] second thing I will say is that the president talks to everybody,” he continued. “So this information apparently happened in June — why is it coming out right now like a big water balloon on the president when he’s having a fantastic trip here in Davos, meeting with world leaders and about to give a fantastic speech about global prosperity and global growth?”

“I find this to be another one of those nonsensical stories and another red herring.”

The New York Times reported Thursday that Trump attempted to fire Mueller last June, but backed off after White House counsel Don McGahn refused Trump’s order and threatened to quit.

Trump reportedly said Mueller had conflicts of interest in his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, including a dispute over fees at Trump’s National Golf Club in Virginia and Mueller’s previous employment at a law firm that represents Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to the Times.

Trump also reportedly considered removing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the Justice Department’s second-highest official, and appointing Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand to oversee Mueller’s team of prosecutors, but that option also never materialized.

Congressional Democrats quickly seized on the report to accuse Trump of what they say is obstruction of justice, and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) responded to the report by calling for the Senate to take up bills aimed at protecting Mueller from being fired.