Want to see bipartisanship in Washington? Fire Mueller
The many rumblings about the special counsel’s future — which have intensified since President Donald Trump publicly criticized Attorney General Jeff Sessions — could unite lawmakers from both parties in a way few issues have.
“I think there are a number of options” for Congress if Mueller did get fired, Burr said, though he would not offer any details.
“I’d say the easiest way is to make sure there is no change in the special counsel,” he added. “I’m just hopeful they won’t choose that route to go down.”
Firing Mueller wouldn’t end the FBI investigation, either. The agents assigned to the Russia election meddling case would keep plugging away at their leads, law enforcement sources say.
“Getting rid of Mueller doesn’t eliminate the wheels in motion,” said Asha Rangappa, an associate dean at Yale Law School and a former special agent in the FBI’s counterintelligence division.
.. In an interview with The New York Times last week, Trump sidestepped a direct question about whether he would consider firing Mueller.
.. But the new White House communications director, Anthony Scaramucci, told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt in a Tuesday morning interview that the subject has come up during his talks with Trump.
.. Across the Capitol, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), a prominent Trump supporter, said lawmakers would make better use of their time by trying to rein in Mueller through legislation that requires him to hire nonpartisan attorneys who haven’t made campaign contributions. He also wants a deadline established for Mueller’s investigation, limits over which issues he can cover and a budget stating how much money can be spent on the investigation.