A new organization, Republicans for the Rule of Law, ran their first TV ad-- defending the Mueller investigation-- on Fox and Friends in DC this morning. If you don't live in DC and don't watch Fox Fake News, that's it above. Republicans in Congress have been barking-- and even snarling-- that Señor Trumpanzee "better not" fire Robert Mueller-- but they've adamantly refused to pass an easy fix-- like for example a bill saying they would hire him as a special prosecutor if Trump fires him-- as seems more and more likely. Tuesday night on MSNBC Amy Klobuchar announced that she would introduce a "bipartisan" bill Wednesday.Yesterday Cory Booker, (D-NJ), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Christopher Coons (D-DE) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) beat her to the punch with the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act. The Hill reported that "The legislation would let Mueller, or any other special counsel, receive an 'expedited judicial review' within 10 days of being fired to determine if it was for a 'good cause.' If it was determined it wasn't, he would be reinstated.
It would also codify regulations that only a senior Justice Department official can fire a special counsel and that they must provide the reason in writing."We need to ensure not only that special counsel Mueller can complete his work without interference, but that special counsels in future investigations can, too," Coons said.Tillis added that the "compromise bipartisan bill helps ensure that special counsels-- present or future-- have the independence they need to conduct fair and impartial investigations."The new legislation comes after Trump lashed out following an FBI raid on the offices and hotel room of his personal attorney, Michael Cohen. A referral from Mueller's team reportedly prompted the raid."Attorney–client privilege is dead!" Trump said in a tweet, adding, "A TOTAL WITCH HUNT!!!"He also refused to rule out the possibility of firing Mueller, telling reporters, "We'll see what happens."But previous legislation to protect Mueller has largely stalled on Capitol Hill.Tillis and Coons introduced legislation last year that would let Mueller or any special counsel challenge their firing in court.A separate bill, from Graham and Booker, would require a judge to approve a Justice Department request to fire Mueller or any other special counsel.
Last year John Conyers (D-MI) and Walter Jones introduced the Special Counsel Integrity Act (HR 3771) which Ryan and Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) killed by locking it up in the House Judiciary Committee. Since then, polls have shown the vast majority of Americans do not want to see Trump fire Mueller-- including a majority of Republicans. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell still opposes any bill protecting Mueller.NBC News reported that Chuck Grassley said on Fox that he has confidence in the special counsel and that "it would be suicide for the president to fire Mueller." Lindsey Graham hissed that getting rid of Mueller or Rosenstein "would be the beginning of the end of his presidency." Even Orrin Hatch said it would be catastrophic for Trump to fire Mueller.
