The last time we checked, the rules governing special counsels assigned to investigate White House activities don't require that the president must be comfortable with whatever direction the probe takes. Just ask President Bill Clinton. A special counsel whose original mission was to scrutinize a questionable real estate deal wound up pursuing impeachable offenses related to Clinton's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.

Republicans were overjoyed that independent counsel Kenneth Starr exercised wide latitude with his powers. On Jan. 23, 1998, this newspaper called for Clinton's resignation if the investigation proved he had lied under oath, as he was charged.

Despite current Republican indigestion over special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of the Trump White House, Mueller should exercise equally wide latitude in determining whether the presidential campaign of Donald Trump colluded with agents of the Russian government. Mueller should exercise his authority, just as Starr did, to pursue this investigation aggressively.

Trump insists no collusion happened, but as we know from the Clinton experience as well as that of disgraced former President Richard M. Nixon, politicians can and do lie to protect themselves. Trump already has a lengthy record of lies, so his denials should hold no sway over the investigation's direction. The worst mistake Trump could make would be to fire the special counsel.

Mueller's office has secured thousands of emails sent and received by the Trump transition team after the November 2016 election but before Inauguration Day. During that time, Trump and his team members were private citizens, but they were using secure government email addresses administered by the General Services Administration. All such email accounts are government property subject to seizure as part of Mueller's probe.

Over the weekend, Trump complained that Mueller had obtained "unauthorized" access to the emails. A lawyer for Trump, Kory Langhofer, insisted the emails belonged to the transition team and that it should have been the team's decision whether to hand them over or not.

That's not how the system works, and the Republicans know it. Trump backers are, nonetheless, apoplectic over the perceived unfairness of Mueller's activities. Trump's defenders accuse Mueller of pursuing a witch hunt. They cite text messages sent by FBI agent Peter Strzok, who was formerly assigned to the probe, indicating that Strzok was biased against Trump before the election. Strzok was removed from the investigation in July.

Fox News commentators have seized upon the Strzok example in an effort to delegitimize the entire probe and to accuse Mueller himself of having political motives. The network has gone so far as to suggest a coup plot is afoot.

That's nonsense. If Trump truly has nothing to hide, he should have no problem handing over any emails Mueller wants. The protests and attacks on Mueller's character suggest the investigation is getting uncomfortably close to pay dirt.

REPRINTED FROM THE ST LOUIS POST DISPATCH