President Donald Trump’s outside legal team is reportedly exploring ways to undercut special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. According to The Washington Post, the president’s lawyers are looking into whether he can grant pardons—to aides, family members, and himself. “This is not in the context of, ‘I can’t wait to pardon myself,’” a close Trump adviser told the Post. The lawyers are also reportedly seeking to discredit Mueller’s investigation by highlighting his alleged conflicts of interest. Bloomberg reported earlier Thursday that Mueller’s probe has expanded to include Trump’s personal finances. Trump himself said on Wednesday that such an examination would be inappropriate. Trump’s legal team declined to comment to the Post, which also reported that Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the lawyers, resigned. The New York Times reported Thursday on similar efforts by the Trump legal team to discredit Mueller, suggesting the White House is trying to give Mueller a brushback.
