Lankford doubts plans to fire special counsel Mueller
This past weekend, as President Donald Trump ratcheted up criticisms of the special counsel investigating his campaign’s alleged ties to Russia, U.S. Sen. James Lankford said he doesn’t believe Trump will fire the special counsel, Robert Mueller, and sees no need for legislation that would prohibit him from doing so.
“I don’t see the president firing him,” the Oklahoma City Republican told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “I think the White House has said ten times, maybe more, that they’re not going to fire Robert Mueller, they want him to be able to finish the investigation.”
On Saturday, Trump lawyer John Dowd called on the Justice Department to end the Mueller investigation, the strongest indication to date from the White House that the president will move to fire Mueller. That same day, Trump tweeted, “The Mueller probe should never have been started in that there was no collusion and there was no crime.”
Most congressional Republicans have urged Trump to let the Mueller investigation run its course, claiming a full probe is best for the president and the country. But they have not yet endorsed proposals put forth by Democrats to safeguard Mueller from termination.
“I don’t even think that’s going to be necessary,” Lankford said Sunday, “because the president’s not going to fire him.”
Lankford is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting a separate investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. He shrugged off Dowd’s request as a statement typical of defense attorneys seeking to end investigations into their clients.
“What typically happens in that situation, everyone takes the information of the attorney and says, ‘That’s nice, we’re going to continue to be able to move on.’ I expect the special council to do the same,” he said.
Lankford has traditionally been supportive of Mueller and his investigation. On “This Week,” he said Mueller has avoided leaks and uncovered facts that laid the groundwork for more than a dozen indictments. But Lankford also echoed a Trump criticism of Mueller, claiming “it is odd the number of Democrats that he’s put on board his team.”
Thirteen of the 17 members of Mueller’s team were previously registered as Democrats, according to a Washington Post analysis. Mueller, however, is a longtime Republican and was appointed by another Republican, deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein. Former FBI Director James Comey, another subject of Trump’s criticisms, is a Republican as well.
Some of Lankford’s Republican colleagues in the Senate offered strong rebukes of Dowd’s suggestion of firing Mueller. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said it would “be the beginning of the end of (Trump’s) presidency.” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, said it would be “the stupidest thing” Trump could do.
On Sunday, Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said members of Congress “need to be vocal in support of Special Counsel Mueller finishing his investigation.” That same day, Lankford reiterated his belief that Mueller should be allowed to finish his work.
“I would say the best thing the special council can do is to finish the investigation, gather all the information that’s needed (and) come to a conclusion so the American people can make their own decisions,” the Oklahoma senator said.