President Donald Trump is pushing extensively for the appointment of special counsels to separately investigate his baseless allegations of voter fraud and allegations surrounding Hunter Biden, the son of the President-elect, according to people familiar with the matter.
Trump has raised the idea in meetings with advisers, and has gone as far as asking for names of potential appointees to the special counsel positions, according to one of the people briefed on Trump's conversations.
The issue of a special counsel appears poised to become a major issue in the final days of Trump's presidency, when he works to finalize his long-sought priorities, hamstring the incoming administration and exact political revenge on those he believes wronged him during his tenure.
Trump remains deeply aggrieved at the special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller into ties between his campaign and Russia.
Some of Trump's aides have signaled to allies the President is intent on following through with the moves, though it remains unclear how or when Trump might press the issue at the Justice Department, which will undergo a change in leadership next week when Attorney General William Barr resigns.
Justice Department rules say a special counsel must be named by the attorney general, though Trump has quizzed his team whether he could name one himself, according to one person familiar with the matter.
If the incoming acting attorney general, Jeffrey Rosen, refuses to appoint the special counsels at Trump's request, the President could fire him, the people said.
But currently there is no obvious replacement who might be more willing to fulfill Trump's wishes. One person familiar with the matter predicted Trump would ultimately be talked out of firing Rosen, though at the end of his term he has become more unpredictable than ever.
