Trumpland

Chart: This Is What Happens If Trump Fires Mueller

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

The president can’t get rid of the special counsel on his own. Trying to do it would set off a chain of events that would convulse the country.

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Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast

With special counsel Robert Mueller circling President Donald Trump like a shark, it’s no surprise that the president has repeatedly mused about firing him. But what would happen if Trump pulls the trigger? He can’t actually fire Mueller directly—he has to order Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to do so, and then fire Rosenstein if he refuses. What would happen next is a combination of politics, law, and public relations.

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Sarah Rogers/The Daily Beast