In op-ed, Sen. Mark Warner calls on Congress to protect Mueller probe from Trump
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, is calling on members of Congress to step in and defend Special Counsel Robert Mueller from President Trump's ongoing attacks as he continues his probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is pursuing its own investigation into possible ties between Russian entities and the Trump campaign, wrote an op-ed for USA Today in which he said that Mueller sits "squarely in the crosshairs" of Mr. Trump and his allies.
Warner said that the president's persistent attacks against Mueller and career law enforcement officials should "alarm" Republicans and Democrats alike, stressing that now is the time for lawmakers to "draw a red line."
"In the United States of America, no one is above the law. Not even the president," wrote Warner.
Warner referenced the president's own tweets over the weekend in which he unloaded on the FBI, DOJ and Mueller himself -- once again insisting there was "no collusion" between his campaign and Russia and disparaging Mueller's staff of investigators as politically biased.
Despite the president's public frustrations with the investigation, White House lawyer Ty Cobb issued a statement Sunday saying that Mr. Trump "is not considering or discussing" firing Mueller. Republican lawmakers even came to Mueller's defense over the weekend, making the rounds on Sunday shows calling for the president to stand down from making any rash moves in firing the investigator.
But Warner writes that the president "has demonstrated a willingness to attack any career law enforcement official who he believes may pose a threat to him" and Mr. Trump's efforts to dismantle the investigation "echo dark times in our nation's history."
The Democrat suggested that lawmakers pass legislation to protect Mueller's probe, calling it a "necessary start."
"Congress must make clear to the president that firing the special counsel, or interfering with his investigation by issuing pardons of essential witnesses, is unacceptable and would have immediate and significant consequences," Warner added.