Here's a timeline of Trump and his team's efforts to curtail the Russia investigation

The recent news that Trump attempted to fire special counsel Robert Mueller sometime in June is but the latest in a steady stream of revelations since January of last year that suggest that the president sought to control — and often curtail — the scope and direction of the investigation.

The next few weeks may prove to be vital to Mueller's probe — the special counsel is looking to interview both Trump and his former chief strategist Steve Bannon about the details of former FBI director James Comey's firing in May and former White House chief strategist Michael Flynn's contacts within the administration.

Here's a timeline of actions Trump has taken so far, and their surrounding events, that his critics use to make the case he obstructed justice, along with incriminating events committed by those he reportedly sought to protect:

December 22, 2016: Flynn asked then-Russian ambassador to the US Sergei Kislyak to delay a vote on a United National Security Council resolution.

The UN vote was on a resolution condemning Israel for its continued construction of settlements in the West Bank. The vote went ahead and passed, however, as the US abstaining from the vote.

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December 29, 2016: Flynn spoke again with Kislyak, this time asking Russia to refrain from retaliating against sanctions the US imposed that day.

Kislyak told Flynn that Russia had complied with that request soon after their conversation.

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January 24, 2017: Flynn lied to the FBI when they interviewed him.

Flynn sat down with FBI investigators without a lawyer, and didn't inform anyone in the White House about the interview. The White House only found out about the meeting when former acting attorney general Sally Yates informed officials two days later.

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January 27, 2017: Trump met with Comey, and asked him to pledge his loyalty to him.

At a private dinner in the White House, Trump gave Comey an odd directive, according to Comey.

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February 13, 2017: After being asked to resign as national security adviser, Flynn steps down.

His resignation came after reports that some officials in the White House were worried Flynn might be blackmailed by the Russians. Renewed focus on his contacts with Kislayk hastened his departure as well.

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February 14, 2017: Trump met with Comey and asked him to "let go" of investigating Flynn.

The day after Flynn resigned, Trump had another private discussion with Comey in which he defended Flynn and asked Comey to direct the investigation away from him.

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Sometime before March 2, 2017: Trump pressured Attorney General Jeff Sessions not to recuse himself from the Russia investigation.

Trump ordered top White House attorney

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March 2, 2017: Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe.

Following evidence of Sessions' own contacts with Russian officials including Kislyak, the attorney general rebuffed Trump's demands and distanced himself from involvement in the Russia probe.

Trump reportedly erupted in anger when he learned of the recusal.

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March 22, 2017: Trump requested that Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and CIA director Mike Pompeo say publicly there was no evidence of collusion. Trump also wanted Coats's officials to get Comey to stop investigating Flynn

In the days afterward, Trump continued to press Coats, Admiral Mike Rogers, and several congressmen to declare that there was no evidence of collusion between him and Russia.

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May 9, 2017: Trump fired Comey.

Though Trump initially maintained that he had done so because of Comey's handling of the investigation into 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's controversial email server, he later stated that the Russia investigation was on his mind when he terminated the FBI director.

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Days after Comey firing in May 2017: Trump asked deputy director of the FBI Andrew McCabe whom he voted for.

Soon after firing Comey, Trump met with McCabe while he was acting FBI director, which is when he brought up McCabe's voting record.

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Sometime in June 2017: Trump attempted to fire Mueller.

Trump reportedly ordered McGahn to fire the special counsel, but McGahn threatened to resign instead. Trump walked back his request after that.

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Between May and July 2017: Trump urged Sessions to pressure FBI director Christopher Wray to fire McCabe. Wray, like McGahn, threatened to resign.

On July 26, Trump tweeted several times about Sessions and McCabe, asking why his attorney general didn't replace him. At one point, the president even mentioned McCabe's wife's alleged financial ties to Clinton.

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December 2, 2017: Trump tweeted that he fired Flynn because he lied to the FBI, indicating he knew he had lied when he fired Comey.

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Here's a timeline of Trump and his team's efforts to curtail the Russia investigation

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