On Thursday morning, Bill O’Reilly said President Donald Trump called him to dish on Special Counsel Robert Mueller, mentioning a grudge Mueller may have against Trump involving a golf club membership.
“President Trump called me last night around 11 o’clock,” O’Reilly said in a call with the radio show Bernie and Sid in the Morning. The call with Trump had been scheduled for O’Reilly’s upcoming book on the president.
In the call, Trump turned to speak about Mueller. “He wouldn’t give him his deposit back for a country club membership that Trump owned and Mueller was moving. Mueller wanted $15,000 back and Trump said no,” O’Reilly recalled.
Trump also reportedly told O’Reilly that Mueller lobbied him for the job of FBI director after the firing of James Comey. “Trump says Mueller didn’t like him because he turned him down to be the head of the FBI after he fired Comey. The president says that Mueller lobbied for the job and Trump turned him down,” O’Reilly said.
According to The New York Times, Trump claimed Mueller had three conflicts of interest preventing him from leading an unbiased investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign. Mueller had worked for a firm representing Jared Kushner, Mueller had tried to replace Comey as FBI director, and Mueller’s spat with Trump regarding the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.
In October 2011, Mueller resigned his membership at the club and Trump believed he still holds a grudge on the matter. Yet the special counsel repeatedly denied holding a grudge. “Mr. Mueller left the club in October 2011 without dispute,” special counsel spokesman Joshua Stueve said.
Trump’s call with O’Reilly came one day after Mueller held a special press conference to insist that the president’s actions regarding the Russia investigation were really bad. He then rushed out of the room, avoiding having to answer a single question.
Follow Tyler O’Neil, the author of this article, on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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