During congressional testimony last summer about his Special Counsel investigation, Robert Mueller claimed he previously discussed becoming FBI director with President Trump, but wasn't officially a candidate.
“I did not apply for the job. I was asked to give my input," Mueller claimed. "Not as a candidate."
At the time and in months prior, President Trump said otherwise.
Robert Mueller came to the Oval Office (along with other potential candidates) seeking to be named the Director of the FBI. He had already been in that position for 12 years, I told him NO. The next day he was named Special Counsel - A total Conflict of Interest. NICE!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019
....interview, including the Vice President of the United States!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 24, 2019
But documents obtained by Judicial Watch show Mueller was in fact an official candidate for the position and withdrew his consideration through the Department of Justice.
Judicial Watch announced today that it received 47 pages of documents from the Department of Justice which includes a May 17, 2017, email documenting that Robert Mueller informed the Attorney General's office he was withdrawing from consideration for director of the FBI.
This recently released email raises new questions about Mueller's testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on July 24, 2019, where he said a May 16, 2017 interview with President Donald Trump was "not about me applying for the job" as FBI director.
The emails were produced to Judicial Watch in response to its February 2, 2019, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Justice after for all records of communications of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein between May 8 and May 17, 2017 (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice.
In the May 17, 2017, email former Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein writes to then-Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt with the subject line: "Mueller" and states: "Withdrew from consideration for FBI director."
Hunt responds: "[redacted] called this morning and also withdrew his name from consideration."
On the same day, Rosenstein appointed Mueller special counsel for the Russia investigation.
Mueller never disclosed this conflict of interest during his lengthy Special Counsel investigation or to Congress.
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