Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) that he wants a bill to protect special counsel Robert Mueller included in the omnibus legislation that will be released on Friday.
Manu Raju tweeted:
Bob Corker tells me there would be “total upheaval†in Senate if Trump tried to fire Mueller and says “I can’t imagine†why a bill to protect the special counsel isn’t going to be attached to the omnibus spending bill that needs to pass Congress by Friday
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 19, 2018
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If Trump continues to attack Mueller and make it clear that he has his eye on firing the special counsel, Senate Republicans will need to make a major decision this week. Sen. Corker was right. It is a no-brainer to include legislation to protect Mueller in the omnibus, but for the reason why it may not happen, here is the statement from Trump’s Senate BFF Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT):
.@OrrinHatch on blocking Trump from firing Mueller:
"My conversations with the White House have led him me to believe legislation is not necessary at this point because I do not believe the President would take such a foolish action." pic.twitter.com/hBvzx3W1YI
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 19, 2018
Only an idiot would believe anything that this White House says. Of course they aren’t going to tell Orrin Hatch that Trump is going to fire Mueller. The White House will fire Mueller on a Friday night when the Senate is not in session, and create chaos.
The smart thing for Republicans to do if they want to have any chance at all of keeping control of Congress is to pass a bill protecting Mueller. Legislation that protects Bob Mueller also protects them.
However, the Republican Party is not smart. They are more like Orrin Hatch than Bob Corker.
If Republicans don’t protect the special counsel, and Trump fires him, they will pay with their seats in November.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association