Cross-party move to protect Mueller’s position as Trump calls ‘witch hunt’
Four US senators – two Republicans and two Democrats – are taking a step to protect special counsel Robert Mueller’s job as President Donald Trump ponders firing him.
Legislation offered yesterday by Republicans Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrats Chris Coons of Delaware and Cory Booker of New Jersey would give any special counsel a 10-day window to seek expedited judicial review of a firing.
The measure, which combines two bipartisan bills introduced last summer, signals growing concern in Congress as Mr Trump stews about Monday’s FBI raid on the office of his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. Mr Trump has considered firing Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing Mr Mueller’s investigation, and publicly criticised Mr Mueller and his Russia inquiry.
Mr Mueller is investigating possible ties between Russia and Mr Trump’s 2016 campaign, and examining whether the president’s actions constitute obstruction of justice.
As the investigation has worn on, Mr Trump has called it a “witch hunt”. On Monday, after the raid on Mr Cohen’s offices, the president said it was “an attack on our country”. In a tweet yesterday, he said the investigation is “never ending and corrupt”.
The raid was supervised by the US attorney’s office in Manhattan and was based in part on a referral from Mr Mueller, according to Stephen Ryan, Mr Cohen’s lawyer.
Mr Graham said that the purpose of the bill was to ensure a special counsel is not fired for political reasons.
“I think this will serve the country well,” the senator said.
Mr Coons said it was time for Republicans and Democrats to “stand up and make it clear that we are committed to the rule of law in this country”.
After introducing similar bills in August, when Mr Trump first began criticising Mr Mueller’s investigation, Mr Tillis and Mr Graham kept quiet for months about the need for the legislation while Democrats were undeterred in promoting the measure.
“Make it clear that firing Mueller or interfering in his investigation crosses a red line,” said Democrat Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
The two Republican senators said they did not think Mr Trump would really move to fire Mr Mueller. But the four senators – all members of the Senate judiciary committee – moved to push out a new, combined bill in the hours after Mr Trump’s tantrum on Monday.
The committee chairman, Chuck Grassley, a Republican from Iowa, said the legislation could come up as soon as next week for a committee vote. He has said in the past he wanted the two bills to be reconciled before the committee could consider it.
Now that has happened, Mr Grassley said he has “some obligation to move along with it”.
On Tuesday, Grassley told the Fox Business Network that “it would be suicide for the president to want to talk about firing Mueller”.
It is unclear what could happen to the bill if the committee sends it to the full Senate. Republican majority leader
Robert Mueller is at the eye of Donald Trump’s hurricane as special counsel’s investigation into Russia ties in 2016 gathers momentum
Mitch McConnell has so far shown little interest.
“I don’t think he’s going to be removed,” Mr McConnell said on Tuesday. “I think he’ll be allowed to finish his job.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan, who yesterday announced he will not seek re-election in November’s mid-term elections, made a similar comment on Wednesday: “I have no reason to believe that that’s going to happen. I have assurances that it’s not because I’ve been talking to people in the White House about it.”
Under the bill, the expedited review would determine whether the special counsel was fired for good cause and write into law Justice Department regulations that say a special counsel can only be fired for good cause by a justice official. As those current regulations stand, any dismissal for cause would have to be carried out by Mr Rosenstein, who appointed Mr Mueller in May 2017 and has repeatedly expressed support for him.