The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday sent legislation to the full Senate floor that would protect special counsel Robert Mueller if President Trump decides to make changes to leadership atop the Justice Department.
The bipartisan legislation, finalized earlier this month, gives Mueller and other special counsels 10 days to challenge their firing through a judicial review in the courts. All the committee’s Democrats and four Republicans helped send the bill to the floor.
Democrats had originally said they were hesitant to support the language because of an amendment proposed by Chairman Chuck Grassley. But Grassley unveiled a revised amendment later Wednesday that removed language that mandated Mueller’s office to report to Congress if the scope the probe changed.
Now, that would have to be reported after the investigation’s conclusion, and would also include a detailed report of what was found.
The legislation may never become law. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he doesn’t think such legislation is necessary, and won’t bring it up for consideration by the full Senate.
Republicans Sen. Thom Tillis and Lindsey Graham — both sponsors of he bill — have said they don’t think Trump will fire Mueller, but say the legislation is not about him only.
“I didn’t go about this bill because of Mueller,” Tillis told the committee. “I’m trying to create law that has enduring value.”
Graham used the legislation to call for a second special counsel to investigate GOP-led allegations of bias atop the Justice Department and FBI. Then, should a Democrat president get elected in 2020, that special counsel would also be protected from removal, he told reporters.
Trump cannot directly fire Mueller. Only Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed Mueller in May 2017 after the recusal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions from the investigation can do so.
When asked Thursday morning on Fox News about getting the Justice Department to investigate former FBI Director James Comey, Trump said that for now, he’s staying away from the Justice Department. But he added, “I may change my mind at some point.”
“I’ve taken the position, and I don’t have to take this position and maybe I’ll change, that I will not be involved with the Justice Department. I will wait until this is over. It’s a total, it’s all lies and it’s a horrible thing that’s going on, a horrible thing,” Trump said.
