Standing side by side on Wednesday night, a bipartisan pair of congressmen smacked down Donald Trump’s efforts to shut down the Russia investigation by firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is now reportedly criminally investigating the president for obstructing justice.
GOP Congressman Leonard Lance was particularly emphatic in his support of Mueller, saying he trusts him and believes he will run an honest investigation.
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Bipartisan pair of congressmen offers support for Robert Mueller pic.twitter.com/rUdlBzivKd
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— Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) June 15, 2017
Responding to a question from MSNBC’s Chris Hayes regarding whether Mueller – a Republican and former FBI director – should continue to run the investigation, Rep. Lance said:
I do trust Mr. Mueller, and I was the first Republican in Congress to say that Attorney General Sessions should recuse himself in any matter regarding Russia. And I think that the appointment of Mr. Mueller by the deputy attorney general in his capacity as acting attorney general was an excellent appointment.Â
The statement from the GOP congressman comes hours after it was reported that Donald Trump lost his favorite talking point and is, in fact, under criminal investigation for obstructing justice – an unprecedented development in a young presidency filled with explosive revelations.
The news is also more likely to push Trump toward forcing Mueller out as he continues to look for a way to lift the cloud of the Russia scandal that has hovered over the White House since he took office.
But as the scandal continues to close in on Trump and the 2018 midterm elections approach, it’s likely the number of Republicans defending Mueller and abandoning the president will only increase.
Republicans may have spent the first few months of Trump’s presidency cowardly refusing to hold him accountable, but even they are starting to recognize his days in the White House may be numbered.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
