Article snippet: WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump sought the removal of special counsel Robert Mueller, discouraged witnesses from cooperating with prosecutors and prodded aides to mislead the public on his behalf, according to a hugely anticipated report from Mueller that details multiple efforts the president made to curtail a Russia probe he feared would cripple his administration. Trump’s attempts to seize control of the investigation, and directions to others on how to influence it, ‘‘were mostly unsuccessful, but that is largely because the persons who surrounded the President declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests,’’ Mueller wrote in a two-volume, 448-page redacted report that made for riveting reading. In one particularly dramatic moment, Mueller reported that Trump was so agitated at the special counsel’s appointment on May 17, 2017, that he slumped back in his chair and declared: ‘‘Oh my God. This is terrible. This is the end of my presidency. I'm f---ed.’’ With that, Trump set out to save himself. In June of that year, Mueller wrote, Trump directed White House Counsel Don McGahn to call Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversaw the probe, and say that Mueller must be ousted because he had conflicts of interest. McGahn refused — deciding he would sooner resign than trigger a potential crisis akin to the Saturday Night Massacre of firings during the Watergate era. Two days later, the president made another attempt to alter the course of the ... Link to the full article to read more