Trump says he never considered firing Robert Mueller but that he'd like to see the Russia investigation end

President Donald Trump said at a wild, 40-plus minute press conference on Monday that he has not considered firing Robert Mueller, the special counsel tasked with overseeing the independent investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

"No, not at all," Trump said alongside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell when asked if he was considering firing Mueller.

Mueller was hired by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to oversee the investigation after Trump fired James Comey as FBI director in May. Comey was overseeing the FBI's investigation into whether the Trump campaign had colluded with Russian officials in the 2016 election, which the former FBI director announced publicly at a March congressional hearing.

Mueller's investigation has zeroed in on several Trump campaign figures, as well as on whether Trump obstructed justice by firing Comey.

"Well, I'd like to see it end," Trump said of the investigation. "The whole Russian thing was an excuse for the Democrats losing the election."

He added that there was "absolutely no collusion" and that Mueller's team "ought to get to the end of it."