New details from the redacted Mueller report reveal the extent of President Donald Trump’s devastation when he first heard the news of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s appointment.
According to notes taken by Jody Hunt, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ chief of staff, Trump reacted viscerally when Sessions informed him of the appointment.
Trump “slumped back in his chair” and said “Oh my God. This is the end of my presidency. I’m fucked.”
He then turned his anger on Sessions, whose recusal had triggered the appointment of the special counsel. “How could you let this happen, Jeff?” Trump asked, claiming that Sessions was supposed to protect him and comparing him unfavorably to former attorneys general Robert Kennedy and Eric Holder.
Per Hunt’s notes, Trump then returned to the special counsel’s appointment.
“Everyone tells me if you get one of those independent counsels it ruins your presidency,” he said. “It takes years and years and I won’t be able to do anything. This is the worst thing that ever happened to me.”
The President reportedly ran into then-communications director Hope Hicks soon after this episode, and she said she hadn’t seen him so upset since the Access Hollywood tapes leaked during the 2016 campaign.
These details of Trump’s reactions are housed under Mueller’s broader investigation into Trump’s efforts to get rid of the special counsel, one of 10 situations he scrutinized when trying to determine if the President obstructed justice.
Mueller ultimately concluded that he did not have enough evidence to charge Trump with obstruction, but added that he was not exonerated.
