In June of 2017, former White House Counsel Don McGahn was directed by Trump to have the Acting Attorney General remove the Special Counsel. Though McGahn ignored the request, he stated that he felt “trapped because he did not plan to follow the President’s directive.”

Trump later told McGahn to put in writing that the request to remove the Special Counsel had never been made. Though Trump suggested that he would be fired if he declined, McGahn refused and ultimately resigned. McGahn noted that during his tenure, he had been asked to “do crazy shit.”

The Special Counsel originated in an FBI investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, and officially formed after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.

US Department of Justice – Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election (The Mueller Report), page 85
BBC News – Mueller report: Trump ‘tried to get special counsel fired’
NBC News – Mueller report found Trump directed White House lawyer to ‘do crazy s—“