The next chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring legislation to the floor that would offer protections to special counsel Robert Mueller.
“I think Mitch should bring it to the floor and let’s vote on it. I think the best thing the Senate could do is just bring this bill to the floor and vote on it,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Sunday on “Meet the Press.”
On Wednesday, McConnell, R-Ky., rejected bipartisan legislation aimed at protecting Mueller, who is investigating Russian election interference and possible connections to the Trump campaign.
In addition to President Trump’s continued criticisms of the investigation, the new acting attorney general, Matt Whitaker, has previously said he is opposed to the inquiry and has offered ways it could be curbed — which has some Republicans and most Democrats worried.
When asked why McConnell won’t bring the legislation to the full Senate floor, Graham said it is because he doesn’t find it to be constitutional, or necessary.
“He thinks it’s unconstitutional, he thinks it’s not necessary. I think it’s constitutional, I’d like to vote on it,” Graham said.
But despite his support of the legislation, Graham noted that he doesn’t think the special counsel is in any danger of being shut down.
[Trump: Matthew Whitaker calls the shots on whether to rein in Mueller]
“Having said all that, I don’t see any indication at all that the Mueller probe going to be interfered with by Mr. Whitaker or President Trump. If it were up to me we’d be voting on the bill and see where the votes are at,” he explained to NBC’s Chuck Todd.
During a meeting on Thursday, Whitaker reportedly told Graham that he will allow Mueller’s inquiry to proceed. Graham said he was confident that Whitaker is really going to let that happen.
“Yeah, I am. He said that he’s going to support the regular order process,” Graham said Sunday. “He said he’s going to let regular order prevail here. In other words, he’s not going to reach out and try to stop the investigation.”
Whitaker, as acting attorney general, took control of oversight into Mueller when he was appointed. Prior to that, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was in charge after the recusal of now-ousted Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
Graham again said that he is “very confident” Mueller will continue without any interference from Whitaker or the White House.
“[I]t’d be a disaster for the Republican party, for the Mueller investigation to be terminated or shut down or played with this close to the end. Let’s see what he finds,” Graham said.
“Most Republicans on Capitol Hill and Democrats believe that Mr. Mueller should be allowed to do his job and I have no indication he’s going to be interfered with at all,” he added.
Mueller took over the Russia investigation in May 2017 and has so far issued dozens of charges. Eight people have pleaded guilty and six people, including four Trump associates, have agreed to cooperate.
