Two Republican Senators urged Congress to revisit the proposed legislation mean to protect special counsel Robert Mueller after President Donald Trump attempted to fire him last June regarding his investigation into Trump’s campaign and Russia meddling in the 2016 elections.
Senators Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham both in separate interviews dismayed the reports that Trump tried to fire Mueller.
“I’ve got legislation protecting Mr. Mueller, and I’d be glad to pass it tomorrow,” Graham said.
Collins said: “It certainly wouldn’t hurt to put that extra safeguard in place, given the latest stories.”
It was reported on Thursday that Trump ordered White House counsel Donald McGahn to fire Mueller in June but backed down after McGahn threatened to resign rather than carry out the order.
According to Reuters, McGahn was “fed up” after Trump’s order, a person familiar with the matter said. He did not issue an ultimatum directly to the president but told then-White House chief of staff Reince Priebus and then-chief strategist Steve Bannon that he wanted to quit, the source said.
Graham together with another three Democratic senators introduced a bill last August meant to protect Mueller. However, the Republicans in the House of Representatives didn’t allow for the legislation to pass.
“I don’t think there’s a need for legislation right now to protect Mueller, the president and his team have fully cooperated,” House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy said.
Meanwhile, Collins and Graham stated that according to them there are no signs that Trump at the moment wants to fire Mueller.
“I think what happened here is the president had a bad idea, he talked with his counsel, who explained to an angry and frustrated president why it was a bad idea,” Collins said.
Graham also noted, “It’s pretty clear to me everyone in the White House knows it’d be the end of President Trump’s presidency if he tried to fire Mr. Mueller.”
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