US President Donald Trump believed the appointment of a special counsel to take over the federal probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election would spell the end of his presidency, according to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report.
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When then-attorney general Jeff Sessions informed Trump of Mueller's appointment in May 2017, the report said Trump slumped back in his chair.
"Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm f***ed," Trump said.
Trump then asked Sessions, whom he had berated for months for recusing himself from the Russia probe, "how could you let this happen, Jeff?" and said Sessions had let him down.
Details of Mueller's investigation were released on Thursday, showing Trump tried to impede the probe and raising questions over whether the president committed the crime of obstruction of justice.
Sessions, who resigned in November, recalled that Trump said to him, "you were supposed to protect me", according to the report.
The Republican president had bristled at the investigation since taking office in January 2017, belittling Sessions and calling the probe a witch hunt and a hoax.
"Everyone tells me if you get one of these independent counsels it ruins your presidency," Trump said, according to the report.
"It takes years and years and I won't be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me."
A month after the appointment, in June 2017, Trump tried to get rid of Mueller, according to the report.
He called White House counsel Don McGahn at home twice and told him to call then-acting attorney general Rod Rosenstein and say Mueller should be removed because of conflicts of interest.
"You gotta do this. You gotta call Rod," McGahn recalled Trump as saying.
"McGahn did not carry out the direction, however, deciding that he would resign rather than trigger what he regarded as a potential Saturday Night Massacre," Mueller's report said, referring to the Watergate-era firing of key law enforcement officials by US President Richard Nixon.
Two days later, the report said Trump again tried to affect the course of the Russia investigation.
He asked former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski to tell Sessions he should announce publicly that the investigation was "very unfair" to Trump, that Trump had done nothing wrong and that Mueller may "move forward with investigating election meddling for future elections".
Australian Associated Press
