Incoming House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Thursday led a group of Democrats in introducing a bill designed to protect special counsel Robert Mueller from being fired by President Trump.
The legislation reflects growing fears among the president’s critics that he could try to impede Mueller’s investigation into whether his campaign coordinated with Moscow to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. Trump has increasingly castigated the investigation as an “illegal” partisan-led witch hunt that he wants ended.
The bill, formally known as the Special Counsel Independence and Integrity Act, would codify existing Justice Department regulations that say a special counsel can only be removed for misconduct, dereliction of duty, incapacity, conflict of interest or other good cause. The legislation would also give the special counsel written notice of his or her removal and the opportunity to challenge the move in court.
It is unlikely, however, that the GOP-controlled Senate will take up the bill or a similar one. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) repeatedly blocked legislation protecting the special counsel from reaching the Senate floor late last year after Trump ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions and replaced him with Matthew Whitaker, a Mueller critic, as acting attorney general.
McConnell has argued the bill is unnecessary because he doesn’t believe Trump will look to fire Mueller.- READ MORE