I frequently was told when I was working as a print journalist that one should never rely on “rumor” as the basis for a news story.
However, the difficulty about reporting on the presidency of Donald J. Trump is that rumor, indeed, can become fact when no one expects it to happen.
U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier says that a “rumor” is floating around Capitol Hill that the president is going to fire special counsel Robert Mueller perhaps before Christmas.
Speier sits on the House Intelligence Committee that is looking at whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russians who interfered in our 2016 presidential election. The attorney general, Jeff Sessions, recused himself from anything to do with the Russia matter; Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein then selected Mueller — a career prosecutor and former FBI director — to lead the probe. Mueller’s selection was hailed universally at the time; Republicans and Democrats praised Mueller for his integrity, meticulousness and seriousness.
Will the “rumor” come true? I surely hope it does not.
The president keeps insisting that Mueller’s probe is heading into a blind alley. There’s nothing to the “collusion” accusation, Trump insists. OK, then. Let the probe continue. Let the special counsel complete his work. If he comes up empty, he’ll say so. Game over.
If not, well, then we’ve got a problem — and the president’s problem only will intensify if he fires Mueller before his work is finished.