With the latest news of special counsel Robert Mueller convened a grand jury, some began to float the rumor that this was done because President Trump was about to fire Mueller.

That particular rumor has been floating around since June, actually, when a friend of Trump’s, Chris Ruddy, suggested that he felt the president had been considering it.

Lawmakers may have suspected the same thing, which would explain the bipartisan measure I mentioned earlier today that would prevent a president from firing a special counsel.

As today’s news and all the ensuing speculation swirled, Trump’s lawyer, Jay Sekulow appeared on Fox News and assured the public that the president had no intention in firing Mueller.

Said Sekulow:

“The president is not thinking about firing Robert Mueller,” Sekulow told host Neil Cavuto, “so the speculation that’s out there is just incorrect.”

When asked if the White House was aware of the grand jury, Sekulow answered “No,” but that it was standard operating procedure in such cases, so it didn’t come as a surprise.

White House lawyer Ty Cobb also made a statement, after news of the grand jury broke:

“Grand jury matters are typically secret. The White House favors anything that accelerates the conclusion of his work fairly,” Cobb said in a statement. “The White House is committed to fully cooperating with Mr. Mueller.”

Mueller is investigating possible collusion and obstruction in the Russia probe, and it seems as if the net gets cast wider every week.