The June incident could emerge as an important part of Mr. Mueller’s probe, part of which is looking into whether Mr. Trump or anyone in the White House or associated with his campaign obstructed justice by trying to impede investigators looking into the possibility of campaign-related collusion with Russia.
Mr. Trump’s order to fire Mr. Mueller came in the month after the president did fire the F.B.I. director James B. Comey, later citing the Russia probe as the reason for his decision. At the time, Mr. Comey was in charge of the F.B.I.’s investigation into collusion with Russia during the election. The firing of Mr. Comey in May directly led to Mr. Mueller’s appointment.
Mr. Trump’s denial of the June incident echoes repeated statements by the president and other White House officials that Mr. Trump had never considered firing the special prosecutor.
“I haven’t given it any thought,” Mr. Trump told reporters in August. “Well, I’ve been reading about it from you people. You say, oh, I’m going to dismiss him. No, I’m not dismissing anybody.”
John Dowd, the president’s personal lawyer, said that same month that firing Mr. Mueller has “never been on the table, never.”
But four people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they did not want to be identified discussing a continuing investigation, said Mr. Trump ordered the firing, citing what he believed were three reasons that Mr. Mueller has a conflict of interest that should prevent him from leading the Russia investigation.
Those included claims about a disputed payment of fees by Mr. Mueller at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.; the fact that Mr. Mueller worked at the same law firm that represented the president’s son-in-law; and Mr. Mueller’s interview with the president to be F.B.I. director before he was appointed to be the special counsel.
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