Donald Trump
Donald TrumpReuters

U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told President Donald Trump last week that he is not a target of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, a source familiar with the probe said Thursday, according to Reuters.

After the April 12 conversation with Rosenstein, Trump told advisers that he was not inclined to seek the ouster of either man since he is not the target of Mueller’s probe.

The conversation was first reported by Bloomberg. The Justice Department told Reuters it does not comment on conversations with the president. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Mueller, a former FBI Director, was appointed by the Justice Department last year to oversee the federal investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election.

His appointment came after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from any involvement in the Russia investigation due to his role as a prominent campaign adviser and surrogate.

Trump has in the past argued that Mueller has hired "Hillary Clinton supporters" and people who worked for Clinton's 2016 White House bid to work on his investigation.

Indeed, reports emerged several months ago that a controversial dossier against Trump compiled ahead of the 2016 presidential election, which suggested then-candidate Trump colluded with the Russian government, was produced at the behest of the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

Earlier this year it was reported that Mueller had raised the likelihood with Trump’s legal team that his office will seek an interview with the president.

Trump later said he was willing to speak under oath with Mueller. Two weeks ago, The Washington Post reported that Mueller told Trump's lawyers that the president is not currently considered to be a criminal target even though investigation of him is continuing.