Senators work on bill banning firing of special counsels without judicial review
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are working on legislation that could attempt to insulate Special Counsel Robert Mueller from being fired.
A Republican and two Democrats said Thursday they're among committee members working on legislation that would prevent the firing of special counsels without judicial review. They are Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democrats Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.
A Graham spokesman says the senator's still working on the bill, and it's unclear when it will be introduced.
Graham has sternly warned Trump not to fire Mueller or Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He said Thursday there would be "holy hell" to pay if Trump fired Sessions.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley issued an indirect warning to the president about firing Sessions Wednesday night. He tweeted that everybody in Washington should be warned that his committee's agenda "is set for the rest of 2017." Judicial nominations would come first, followed by sub-Cabinet positions. "AG no way," his tweet ended.
Everybody in D.C. Shld b warned that the agenda for the judiciary Comm is set for rest of 2017. Judges first subcabinet 2nd / AG no way
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 27, 2017
If the president were to fire Sessions and nominate a new attorney general, in hopes of appointing someone who would be able and willing to fire the special counsel probing Russia, that person would not be in place until after the end of the year, Grassley is suggesting. His tweet indicated he would not hold a confirmation hearing for a new AG until after the end of 2017.
That would mean that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein would take over as attorney general, and he's the one who appointed Mueller to be special counsel.