A top Senate Republican is preparing a bill that would prevent President Donald Trump from firing Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is working on legislation that would block the firing of special counsels without judicial review, according to the Associated Press.
The South Carolina lawmaker told reporters “there will be holy hell to pay” if Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a Thursday press conference. Dismissing Sessions would likely be the first step in firing former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who was appointed as special counsel to lead the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible connections to the Trump campaign.
Graham harshly criticized Trump for the repeated public insults that he has directed at Sessions, who he believes enabled the DOJ’s appointment of a special counsel by recusing himself from the Russia investigation.
“As a human being I think [Trump] should show some respect for Jeff Sessions,” Graham said. “The statements the president is making go way beyond what’s acceptable in a rule of law nation.”
Trump has tweeted a number of derogatory statements about Sessions, and has reportedly discussed firing him with a political advisor.
Congressional Republicans have made it clear that they will oppose any efforts to fire Sessions or Mueller, and would not cooperate in confirming their replacements.
Graham is currently investigating Russian meddling in his role leading the Judiciary panel’s subcommittee on crime and terrorism, along with Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. He said he is currently working on the bill and does not yet know when it will be finalized.
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