Originally posted by @vivify
Come on, man. You, better than most of us, know it's more complicated than that. Trump can't outright fire Mueller. He first needs to fire Mueller's boss, then replace him with a stooge that will do the firing for him. But even in the remote chance that Trump is able to pull that off, I think Trump will still come out fairly unscathed, just as he's been ...[text shortened]... replace Mueller. Firing Mueller will not end the investigation, as Trump found out with Comey.
No, whoever he put in Rosenstein's place could fire Mueller AND end the investigation:
Mueller, as a special counsel rather than an independent counsel, has only the authority granted any United States attorney. He remains subject to the chain of command of the Justice Department. In ordinary circumstances, he would answer to the attorney general. Because Jeff Sessions has recused himself from this matter, Mueller answers to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
• As special counsel, Mueller is subject to the “rules, regulations, procedures, practices and policies of the Department of Justice.” And while the regulations accord him an unusual degree of autonomy, his superior, here Rosenstein, can overrule him if he proposes doing something contrary to DOJ policy.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/01/how-robert-mueller-can-ensure-congress-sees-any-case-against-donald-trump.html
AND:
Rosenstein could reel in the investigation by finding one of more of its strategies or techniques “so inappropriate or unwarranted under established departmental practices that it should not be pursued.”
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5. Would firing Mueller end the Russia investigation?
Not necessarily. The investigation predated Mueller’s appointment as special counsel and already has some prosecutions underway. If Mueller were to be dismissed, much would depend on his successor — who would, presumably, be appointed by Rosenstein.
http://fortune.com/2018/01/27/if-donald-trump-fires-robert-mueller/
Except in the most likely scenario, Trump would fire Rosenstein first, then replace him with a stooge, tell that stooge to fire Mueller and not name a replacement but to end the investigation because it is “so inappropriate or unwarranted under established departmental practices that it should not be pursued.” He could then just pardon anybody already charged including the Russians.
Now, if he can get away with anything according to you, why doesn't he do this? He has the legal power to do so.