GOP Sen. Susan Collins said the Senate must pass legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller, becoming the second Republican to make a lame-duck push for the proposal amid resistance from GOP leadership. The Maine senator said on Friday that she is “concerned” about acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker’s rhetoric about the special counsel’s investigation into the Trump administration and that Whitaker might “intervene” in the probe. So Collins joined GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona in calling for a vote after Attorney General Jeff Sessions was forced out on Wednesday. Story Continued Below “I believe that we should bring to the Senate floor legislation that would put restrictions on the ability of President Donald Trump to fire the special counsel,” Collins said. “Senate debate and passage of this bill would send a powerful message that Mr. Mueller must be able to complete his work unimpeded.” The bill would ensure Mueller or any future special counsel can be fired only for errors on the job or other “good cause,” and allows judicial review of any other reason for a firing. The measure also says that only Trump officials who have been confirmed by the Senate can terminate the special counsel, a list that does not include Whitaker. In Kentucky on Friday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reiterated that he does not believe the bill is needed, even though circumstances have changed significantly with Sessions’ departure. “It’s not necessary. The Mueller investigation is not under threat,” McConnell said in Kentucky… [Read full story]
Leave a Reply