Trump calls report he ordered Mueller’s firing ‘fake news’

President Trump dismissed reports that he ordered Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s firing last summer as “fake news” on Friday in Davos, Switzerland.

“Fake news. Fake news. Typical New York Times. Fake stories,” Trump told reporters. 

The New York Times reported on Thursday that Trump attempted to oust Mueller last June, but was stopped after White House counsel Don McGahn threaten to tender his resignation.

{mosads}Trump reportedly claimed that Mueller had conflicts of interest in the probe into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia’s election interference.

However, McGahn threatened to quit if Trump tried to fire Mueller, saying the move would further stir speculation the president was obstructing justice in the investigation. 

Attorney Ty Cobb, who is handling the White House’s response to the probe, declined to comment to the Times. 

A number of other outlets have independently confirmed the Times’s report, including Fox News.

Fox News host Sean Hannity said that the network had confirmed the reporting on Thursday after originally calling it a distraction. 

“All right, so we have sources tonight just confirming to Ed Henry that, maybe, yeah, Donald Trump wanted to fire the special counsel for conflict. Does he not have the right to raise those questions?” Hannity said.

The report comes after Trump said on Wednesday he is looking to sit down with Mueller for an interview.

“There’s been no collusion whatsoever. There’s no obstruction whatsoever, and I’m looking forward to it,” the president said.