Several U.S. progressive groups are getting ready for nationwide protests if President Donald Trump decides to fire the special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, or even replace the Justice Department official overseeing the probe.
Removal of Special Counsel Robert Mueller would show that President Trump is acting as if he was above the law, said MoveOn.org, which is planning 800 demonstrations across the country.
According to MoveOn’s website, every state will have at least one “Nobody Is Above The Law” rally and at least 320,000 people have pledged to attend so far.
Additionally, the site wrote that Trump would also trigger protests if he fired Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is responsible for overseeing the Russia probe, or if he pardoned associates targeted in the investigation, such as former Trump campaign director Paul Manafort.
Trump has been highly critical of Mueller’s investigation, saying it was a “witch hunt.” He also threatened to fire the special counsel after FBI agents raided his personal lawyer Michael Cohen’s offices on Monday, based partly on a referral by the special counsel.
Meanwhile, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Wednesday that Trump assured him that he does not intend to fire Mueller.
MoveOn also announced that other groups behind the planned protests include Friends of the Earth, the American Federation of Teachers, and veterans organizations.
“We can’t have the highest office of the land exempt from abiding by the law,” Friends of the Earth U.S. President Erich Picha said by telephone.
Reuters reported that Mueller’s firing would create a constitutional crisis and similar to President Richard Nixon’s move to oust officials investigating the Watergate scandal.
The White House on Tuesday stated that Trump “believes he has the power” to fire Mueller.
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