Washington • Republican activists and lawmakers are engaged in a multi-front attack on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe of possible connections between associates of President Donald Trump and Russian agents, trying to stop or curtail the investigation as it moves further into Trump's inner circle.
For months, the president and his allies have been seizing on any whiff of possible impropriety by Mueller's team or the FBI to argue that the Russia probe is stacked against Trump — potentially building the political support needed to dismiss the special counsel.
Several law enforcement officials said they are concerned that the constant drumbeat of conservative criticism seems designed to erode Mueller's credibility, making it more politically palatable to remove, restrict or simply ignore his recommendations as his investigation progresses.